News

Been a long time!

• Over 4 years since last update. Over 6 years since last release. It's too much time. I was meaning to continue, but I'm not so sure anymore. I just can't seem to get in the mood to continue it...
  
  Anyway, the Linux compiled version is not unicode, and since some of the main linux distributions have gone Unicode (including Ubuntu), many linux users can't execute that version, and they also can't compile an unicode version because it needs changes and besides GCC 4.0 brought some changes that made the code invalid. Fixing all of this, I created a WIP version of SevenuP 1.21 and gave the link to some people, and now I've been asked to publish that version... so I though... why not? It's now in the downloads page.

Stupid Antivirus

• Several stupid antivirus programs are considering SevenuP.exe a suspicious file because I used uPack to reduce the program size, and I guess some viruses also use it. I've already sent the file to McAfee so they can fix their VirusScan, and I'll try to send it to a few more who also make the wrong detection, but meanwhile I've uploaded an uncompressed version to avoid futher problems. So if you're using a crappy Antivirus that gives a false positive with SevenuP (and you don't want to drop it), try downloading the unpacked version from the download page to see if the problem goes away.

Links

• SjASMPlus added to the cross-assemblers list in the links page. A very nice and advanced assembler.

Links

• TommyGun finally got its own webpage!.

Links

• TommyGun link updated to version 0.9.3 . From now on, TommyGun updates won't be announced here until TommyGun gets it's own webpage.

Links

• TommyGun link updated to version 0.9.1 .

Version 1.20 released

What's new:

• (FreeBSD) Brand new FreeBSD binary!.
• (Linux) (BUGFIX) removed most of optimizations from version 0.92, as they may provoke scroll bugs under certain (unknown to me) circunstances.
• Huge changes on output options to allow even more flexibility:
  • Now you can also interleave attributes on frames, columns or lines, and you can output only the attributes or put the attributes first.
  • Added an option to output the size in the first two bytes of the data, as needed by z88dk's standard sprite library.
  • Added an option to output the graphic data making an horizontal zigzag.
  • Added an option to add attribute masks, as needed by splib3.
  • The name of the sprite is now used as label for asm, and name for C output (but ASM label can be disabled).
  • Added an option in .ini file to choose the default extension to export data.
• (BUGFIX) Important bugfixes on image importation:
  • A character with only one dominant colour could never get the bright attribute.
  • Sometimes the same colour would get chosen for both ink and paper in the same char, leaving an ugly blank character.
  • Pixel distribution wasn't taking into consideration the subcell sizes, so it's amazing that it worked at all.
• Optimized importation a bit.
• (Win) Recompiled library for a bit smaller executable size.
• (Win) Used Upack instead of UPX for an even smaller executable size.
• (Linux) Binary is now compiled on Gentoo 2006.0-amd64, gcc 3.4.3 and wxWidgets 2.6.2 for GTK2.x, non unicode. You'll need to install the new libraries from http://www.wxwidgets.org to make it work.
• (Linux) Also compiled a 64 bit binary.
• (Linux) Switched from UPX 1.25 to 1.94 to get much smaller executable size (and to be able to compress the 64 bit binary).

Links

• TommyGun link updated to version 0.8.7 .

Links

• TommyGun link updated to version 0.8.5 .

Links

• TommyGun link updated to version 0.8.3, and updated description.

Links

• ZX-Paintbrush added to graphic editors list.
• TommyGun link updated to version 0.8 .

Version 1.12 released

What's new:

• (BUGFIX) Export image was exporting always the first frame of a sprite, instead of the currently selected one.

New BIN2TAP version, more links

• Fixed a bug in BIN2TAP, that didn't calculate the checksum for the BASIC header, resulting in R Tape Loading error when start and execution addresses were different.
• Pasmo added to the cross-assemblers list in the links page. For sure my current favourite.
• TommyGun added to graphic editors list.

Version 1.11 released

What's new:

• Added a few more keyboard shortcuts.
• (BUGFIX) Changing cursor mode from fill or paste mode would make keep that mode, while showing the normal set/reset one.
• (Linux) (BUGFIX) .SCR files can be saved again.
• (Win) (BUGFIX) Fixed an important graphic bug in wxWindows library, that caused the canvas to get sunk if the screen was resized from a size that needed a vertical scrollbar to a size that didn't need it, while that vertical scrollbar was scrolled down.

Version 1.10 released

What's new:

• Changed File menu layout. Now "Save" is called "Fast Save", "Save As" and "Save .SCR" are both in "Save" option, and saving to .BIN, .C and .ASM are all placed in "Export Data".
• Default paths for open, import, save and export are now taken from SevenuP.ini
• Lastest paths used can be remembered (switchable on SevenuP.ini)
• Added append to output options, so you can use the same file to accumulate all data exported.
• Added lots of keyboard shortcuts.
• Paste, Fill & fill pattern now toggle their modes, instead of just setting it (nicer for keyboard control).
• Changed the way paper & ink are chosen to improve importation of speccy graphics.
• Optimized the import image routine a bit (around 20%).
• (Mac) Changed location of SevenuP.ini .
• (Source) Removed compatibility with wxWindows 2.2.9 (it was broken on last version anyway).
• (BUGFIX) Move Up and Move Down buttons on Save Option dialog didn't work since version 0.95b .
• (BUGFIX) Fast save after import would overwrite the just imported image replacing it with the .sev file (with the wrong extension).
• (BUGFIX) Eff_pixattr option from SevenuP.ini wasn't working correctly.

Version 1.00 released

What's new:

• Configuration options stored in SevenuP.ini (finally!).
• Import graphics from image files. Supported formats are: BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, PCX, TIF, IFF and XPM.
• Export graphics to image files. Supported formats are: BMP, JPG, PNG, PCX, TIF and XPM.
• AutoZoom to fit size of loaded files.
• Individual attributes (ink, paper, bright and flash) shown on status bar.
• Updated wxWindows to 2.4.1 . Updating the library for Linux is recommended. This has caused Windows binary size to grown quite a bit.

Notice for Mac users

• James Weatherley has told me that, as happens with Linux versions, you need to install the wxWindows library to make SevenuP work. There doesn't seem to be a binary of that library on wxWindows homepage, so James has put it on his. You must download it and unzip to /usr/local/lib
• wxWindows library

Version 0.95 beta released (not for Windows (no new features))

What's new:

• (Mac) Brand new MacOS X binary! Bitmap buttons are a work in progress for OS X, so they'll look a bit worse than their x86 counterparts.
• Increased minimum window width to show all tools in Linux toolbar
• (Source) Now also compiles using wxWindows 2.4.0 . This fixes the .s?? search on Linux instead of .sev and .src (problem mentioned on version 0.91).
• (Linux) Binary is now compiled with Mandrake 9.1, gcc 2.3.2 and wxWindows 2.4.0 . You'll need to install the new libraries from http://www.wxwindows.org to make it work.

Version 0.94 beta released

What's new:

• Added 90 degrees rotations to effects menu and toolbar.
• Added a patch by Dominic Morris to load partial .SCR files.
• (BUGFIX) For sprites, the number of frames wasn't showing in the C and ASM source code comments, but pixel size again instead.

Version 0.93 beta released

What's new:

• (Win) (BUGFIX) Right after executed, v0.92 stayed in a strange state until a graphic was created or loaded.
• (Win) (BUGFIX) Double-clicking to select a file (e.g.: to load it), won't now perform an action on the pixel where the filename was clicked.
• (BUGFIX) Closing the last file won't leave it's size on the canvas (this could be noticed by changing zoom before loading/creating another graphic).

Version 0.92 beta released

What's new:

• Many speed optimizations to non-bitmapped modes: when only the char grid is on, it now takes around 83% of previous time for the screen to be generated, screen isn't regenerated when the window is just cleaned, when it's resized or scrolled it only calculates the new parts and finally (un)selection now only refresh the (un)selected part. The speedup is bigger in Linux, where the screen update event happens more often.
• Added some checks to the header of loaded files, to avoid crashing on corrupt files.
• Warning on a invalid file now provides the name of failing file. The name also appears saving a file from the "Save" menu option.
• Added a check to see if the file to be loaded exists.
• Added some keyboard shortcuts for the Edit menu.
• (BUGFIX) Using the "Save" menu option to save a .SCR file would save a .SEV file but keeping the .SCR extension.
• (BUGFIX) Renaming a sprite (or renaming a graphic, then turning it to a sprite by adding frames) wouldn't show the last character of the new name on title bar.
• (BUGFIX) Grids were a bit wrong on v0.91 .

Version 0.91 beta released

What's new:

• Drag & Drop of multiple .SEV and .SCR files.
• Multiple files can now also be loaded from command line.
• Both .SEV and .SCR files can be loaded from the Load menu option, instead of using separate Load options (under Linux, when searching both file types, all *.s* files are presented due to a library limitation).
• Select next and previous frame now cycle through the sprite.
• Optimized non bitmapped zoom modes. 4x4 now it takes about 52% of previous time, the rest takes between 100%-59%, depending on enabled grids.
• (Linux) (BUGFIX) Since v0.6, loading two or more graphics with the same name (or the same graphic more than once) would screw the "Ctrl+(number)" keyboard associations for those files under Linux. This isn't my fault, but a library bug, so I'm adding a prefix number to avoid the problem.
• (Win) Recompiled library removing all debug mechanisms to get a smaller executable size.

Version 0.9 beta released

What's new:

• SevenuP now has its own icon.
• Undo & redo (up to 4 steps) for current frame (changing to another frame or graphic loses history), and therefore suppressed the Erase warning.
• Added two more items to the sprite menu: Move frame, to change position of current frame, and Select frame number, to jump directly to a given frame.
• SevenuP tries to open the first command line argument, allowing association of .SEV files. SCRs can also be loaded from command line, but Windows association will be more difficult due to the existence of those stupid Windows .SCReen savers.
• Reduced some unnecessary memory usage.

Version 0.8 beta released

What's new:

• SPRITE SUPPORT (Finally!):
  • There's a Sprite menu where you can add or remove frames and select the one to work on.
  • Current selected frame is now shown on Title bar if there's more than one.
  • Selection can also be done with the 2 new items at the Toolbar.
  • Evidently, a new field (Frame number) has been added to the byte sort priority list of output options.
  • Extended the internal .SEV format, to enable the use of sprites. The new .SEVs won't load on previous SevenuP versions.
  • The number of frames is limited to 32, or less if the sprite is too big (up to 41K when using mask and attributes).
• Modified the File->New dialog, since sprites are created just by adding frames to a graphic, and I won't finally add animations support, since I believe it's better to test graphics directly on Spectrum (either emulated or real).
• Effect options are now placed on top of the Effects menu, since all effects are already at reach in the Toolbar.
• Zoom menu now shows current mode.
• Graphic can be now renamed from the file menu.
• Only relevant fields are taken in consideration in C and ASM files to make newlines and in the Sort Priority information.
• (BUGFIX) Entering illegal size values won't crash the program at certain points.
• (Source) Finally added an Unix makefile.
• The origin of program's name is finally revealed ;-) (look at the docs).

Version 0.71 beta released

What's new:

• Added .ASM hexadecimal data output modes.
• Saving a .SCR file clears the "Are you sure?" flag too.
• (BUGFIX) Changing current graphic doesn't leave the selected area of old graphic still marked in bitmapped modes.

Version 0.7 beta released

What's new:

• Labels removed from ASM code.
• Added a fill menu with both textured and solid fills available.
• Added auto mask.
• Added a new cursor mode, that replaces the Get/Set Attributes one when we're editing a mask, allowing the change of both mask and graphic at the same time.

Linux problem detected

• There's a problem with the Linux binary version. It seems that I'm using an old version of libpng, so you may get the following error message when you execute SevenuP:
  

  ./SevenuP: error while loading shared libraries:
  
  libpng12.so.0: cannot open shared object file:
  
  No such file or directory

• I'll try to get a new fixed version soon, in the meanwhile, as a workaround you may link the new library to the name of the old one, by typing this while you're at /usr/lib: ln -s libpng.so.2 libpng12.so.0

Version 0.61 beta released

What's new:

• Code cleaning and a few comments added.
• (BUGFIX) Copying from mask zone won't copy graphic attributes now.
• Limited the maximum frame size to 1280x1024, to prevent people with very big monitors crashing the program by making the canvas bigger than internal bitmap size.
• Minor security fix: certain corrupt .SEV files could crash the program. Not anymore.
• License changed from Freeware to GPL, and therefore source code released.

Version 0.6 beta released and uploaded to WoS (World of Spectrum)

What's new:

• SevenuP is now considered beta instead of alpha.
• Improved documentation.
• Integrated everything in one window.
• Graphic name appears in the window title (and is used as default save name).
• You can change different open graphics from File menu or using the keyboard (CTRL+function key (CTRL+number key in Linux, function keys are already used), limiting the maximum number of simultaneous open files to 12 (even in Linux version, where only the first ten files can be selected by keyboard)).
• Added mask support. Using masks takes more memory and speed, so you'd better leave mask design for the end. Mask now enter in the byte sort priority options, and can be placed before or after the graphic.
• Changed a bit the internal .SEV format, to allow the use of masks. New version .SEVs won't load on SevenuP alpha versions (v0.52 won't warn about it because of a stupid WIP bug, the rest will give a warning).
• (BUGFIX) In v0.52, tniASM and The E-Z80 Way asm output got mixed, so tniASM output was a bit messy and The E-Z80 Way one was wrong. Fixed.

Version 0.52 alpha released

What's new:

• Minor fixes to docs, spanish docs available too.
• Speed optimizations. Load/new graphics and effects should be quite faster now. 4x4 isn't a bitmapped mode anymore, so SevenuP also uses less memory, but it will be slower in that mode.
• The ZCAV2 cross assembler has been renamed to "The E-Z80 Way", appropiate changes made.

Opps! BIG BUG!, therefore Version 0.51 alpha released

What's new:

• (BUGFIX) Paste added garbare below the pasted zone in certain cases. Fixed.

Version 0.5 alpha released

What's new:

• Added some preliminary documentation.
• Status bar is a bit more informative in selection mode.
• Added "Are you sure?" warning dialogs to window closing and erase.
• Added a zoom menu, now you can change from any zoom mode to another without changing through all intermediate levels.
• Eliminated annoying flicker on zoom mode change.
• Added an edit menu with Copy and Paste capabilities. Now you can copy and paste graphics or fragments of graphics from one edition window to another.

A new assembler

• Added ZMAC to the cross-assemblers list in the links page. It's problably the best of the ones I've tested so far: freeware, open source and without any weirdness in admitted code (AS80 hasn't any weirdness either, but it's only for DOS/Windows).
• Linux compatible assemblers are highlighted in yellow.

Version 0.4 alpha released

What's new:

• Change cursor icon changed to something meaningful.
• Attribute information is now displayed in Status Bar.
• Reenabled flash buttons (but Flash effect still isn't shown).
• Added a Get Attribute cursor mode.
• Added a Select cursor mode, so you can apply effects only to a certain area of the graphic.
• Added rotations/shifts at bit/character level.
• Effect options are now set on a dialog.
• Changed Layout: Now a complete Spectrum screen fits in x3 zoom if you're using a 1024x768 screen size (under Windows), and there is more room for the toolbar.

A pair of changes

• Added some links.
• I've modified BIN2TAP so it can take as arguments the start address of the code and the execution point, instead of assuming both are always 32768. I've also created a variant (BIN2CODE) that only creates the code block, without any BASIC header. You'll find both programs in Links section.

Version 0.3 alpha released

What's new:

• Added native support for TASM, tniASM and ZCAV2 assemblers.
• Changed generic assembly format to improve compatibility, adding a ":" at the end of each label. This mode has been successfully tested with AS80, Z80v4, Z80-ASM and Z80ASM.
• Added invert effect.
• Added horizontal and vertical flip effects.
• Effects can affect only pixels, only attributes or both.
• Output options are set from File menu, not everytime a file is saved.

Version 0.2 alpha released

What's new:

• Save binary (.BIN), C source (.C) and ASM source (.ASM) formats, in all of them you can choose the sort priority for the data, and if you want attributes at the end, encoded as the 9th byte of the character or no attributes at all.
• (Win) Recompiled library for a bit smaller executable size.
• Improved behaviour of continuous drawing when mouse pointer goes out of the canvas and enters with the button pressed, but it isn't perfect yet.
• Changed palette, for a better differenciation of bright and non-bright colors.
• (BUGFIX) Continuous drawing was drawing the first pixel twice, causing problems in toogle mode.
• Save .SCR format.

Webpage created
 
 

Version 0.1 alpha released and announced (in comp.sys.sinclair)

What's new:

• (Linux) Flash Buttons Disabled.
• (Linux) Version number shown on info.
• (Win) Default Load & Save directory is current directory not "My Documents".
• All default colors set to transparent.
• Load .SCR format.
• Change Cursor now indicates current state inmediately.
• New zoom modes. Current zoom levels are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 25, 32, 40 and 48, and they have grid starting from 6.
• Added character grid.
• Grids are now optional.
• Total rewrite of screen generation code. Now it takes a little bit to create or load graphics, but the speedup in screen refresh and smaller zoom modes (gridless) is BRUTAL.
• (BUGFIX) Fixed a bug in Save routine: wasn't saving to a binary file, so extra garbare chars were added for newline code.
• Continuous drawing (a bit slow, maybe I'll put it optional in future versions).

Version 0.0 alpha released (and announced only on es.comp.sistemas.sinclair)