PlecoDict Beta 3 Feedback Thread
- Thread starter mikelove
- Start date
Hi Mike,
I downloaded Beta 3 and mainly checked for known issues. Most of them are solved (the DA now doesn't start from within Plecodict now and, like using the 'previous card' hardware button, won't cause a crash anymore; flashcards from the resident are now added to the default list (nice new pop-up menu for list selection!) and using the HWR is registered as an input, so the search will be delayed). The (few) remaining ones that i encountered:
- Hardwarebutton option for the resident is still not available on my NX80. Using the DA is fine with me, but this might be a question of honour to you ;-)
- Newly created custom entries (from the main screen) are not selected afterwards. This would be really helpful!
- After adding a new custom entry from the 'edit list' screen, one should automatically get to the card info screen afterwards. That way one could immediately edit ranks and set flags. But maybe this belongs to the still-to-be-opened suggestions thread
- 'Previous card' (hardware button OR on-screen button) won't work at all now (but at least they don't cause a crash ;-)
- Using the right/wrong hardware buttons to advance through a test session will still get you the next card completely revealed. That way, a test becomes a review (on-screen buttons work fine).
I guess that's it. More if i find more. And thanks for your hard work!!
Greetings,
jo.
I downloaded Beta 3 and mainly checked for known issues. Most of them are solved (the DA now doesn't start from within Plecodict now and, like using the 'previous card' hardware button, won't cause a crash anymore; flashcards from the resident are now added to the default list (nice new pop-up menu for list selection!) and using the HWR is registered as an input, so the search will be delayed). The (few) remaining ones that i encountered:
- Hardwarebutton option for the resident is still not available on my NX80. Using the DA is fine with me, but this might be a question of honour to you ;-)
- Newly created custom entries (from the main screen) are not selected afterwards. This would be really helpful!
- After adding a new custom entry from the 'edit list' screen, one should automatically get to the card info screen afterwards. That way one could immediately edit ranks and set flags. But maybe this belongs to the still-to-be-opened suggestions thread
- 'Previous card' (hardware button OR on-screen button) won't work at all now (but at least they don't cause a crash ;-)
- Using the right/wrong hardware buttons to advance through a test session will still get you the next card completely revealed. That way, a test becomes a review (on-screen buttons work fine).
I guess that's it. More if i find more. And thanks for your hard work!!
Greetings,
jo.
Minor note: the download page still says "If you're updating from a previous PlecoDict release, please delete it from your Palm before installing this one ...".
For an update from beta2 to beta3 this should not be necessary, right? Otherwise the small update files from b2->b3 wouldn't make sense, right?
For an update from beta2 to beta3 this should not be necessary, right? Otherwise the small update files from b2->b3 wouldn't make sense, right?
jo: Glad to hear it's (mostly) working now. Regarding these few remaining bugs:
- We haven't been able to figure out this disappearing checkbox problem: the code that shows/hides it simply detects to see if your Palm is running OS5 or later (using Palm's standard, documented procedure for doing so). So I'm not sure whether or not this will be fixable...
- We didn't get around to this one (trickier there than it is in flashcards), but if we have time we'll see if we can do it without creating any new bugs for 1.0.
- Definitely a suggestions thread item, yes.
- It will work as long as you're not using frequency adjustment or Endless Loop mode; actually we should probably hide it in the former, right now it's there but it just doesn't do anything.
- I'm not seeing this here - how have you configured the session? Right now the buttons simply skip over the "reveal" phase (unless you press the reveal button separately), which I imagine some people might actually find useful.
Thanks for all the bug reporting.
And haraldalbrecht: that was a mistake on the page, I've fixed it now; thanks very much for pointing this out, we would have had a lot of confused customers otherwise.
- We haven't been able to figure out this disappearing checkbox problem: the code that shows/hides it simply detects to see if your Palm is running OS5 or later (using Palm's standard, documented procedure for doing so). So I'm not sure whether or not this will be fixable...
- We didn't get around to this one (trickier there than it is in flashcards), but if we have time we'll see if we can do it without creating any new bugs for 1.0.
- Definitely a suggestions thread item, yes.
- It will work as long as you're not using frequency adjustment or Endless Loop mode; actually we should probably hide it in the former, right now it's there but it just doesn't do anything.
- I'm not seeing this here - how have you configured the session? Right now the buttons simply skip over the "reveal" phase (unless you press the reveal button separately), which I imagine some people might actually find useful.
Thanks for all the bug reporting.
And haraldalbrecht: that was a mistake on the page, I've fixed it now; thanks very much for pointing this out, we would have had a lot of confused customers otherwise.
Flashcards not backed up?
I installed beta 3 and noticed that all my flashcards had vanished. Wasn't sure if it was just a format change from beta 2 or something else, so I tried an experiment:
1. Add a flashcard
2. Hotsync
3. Hard reset my Palm
4. Hotsync to restore the backed-up files
5. Do the post-restore reset
6. Run PlecoDict again
No sign of the flashcard I created. I think this was the case in beta 2 as well.
I installed beta 3 and noticed that all my flashcards had vanished. Wasn't sure if it was just a format change from beta 2 or something else, so I tried an experiment:
1. Add a flashcard
2. Hotsync
3. Hard reset my Palm
4. Hotsync to restore the backed-up files
5. Do the post-restore reset
6. Run PlecoDict again
No sign of the flashcard I created. I think this was the case in beta 2 as well.
That's very odd; the flashcard database file from Beta 2 should have been preserved. Had you deleted Beta 2 before installing Beta 3? In that case, it might have deleted the flashcard file along with the backup file. But if you just installed the Beta 3 update then I can't think of a reason why it would have deleted your flashcards...
As for the backup failure, this looks like a bug: for some reason the "backup this file" flag isn't being attached to the flashcard database. Should be easy to fix for 1.0, anyway, and without requiring anybody to delete their existing flashcard/custom dictionary files.
As for the backup failure, this looks like a bug: for some reason the "backup this file" flag isn't being attached to the flashcard database. Should be easy to fix for 1.0, anyway, and without requiring anybody to delete their existing flashcard/custom dictionary files.
Radical lookup ...
Don't panic, this one seems to be only a smaller issue (at least I hope so): 8)
When looking up characters using radicals that have been "simplified", the dialog sometimes shows the traditional forms instead. For instance, take the 绍 (shao4) from 介绍 (jie4shao4). 绍 is indeed sorted under the proper radical with three strokes, however the dialog shows the traditional form of 紹shao4 instead. This also happens with several other characters.
... or is this a "reunion" feature to make selling on both sides of the Street of Taiwan more easy?
Don't panic, this one seems to be only a smaller issue (at least I hope so): 8)
When looking up characters using radicals that have been "simplified", the dialog sometimes shows the traditional forms instead. For instance, take the 绍 (shao4) from 介绍 (jie4shao4). 绍 is indeed sorted under the proper radical with three strokes, however the dialog shows the traditional form of 紹shao4 instead. This also happens with several other characters.
... or is this a "reunion" feature to make selling on both sides of the Street of Taiwan more easy?
Alexis
状元
I'm not sure if this is a bug or not, but sometimes when I look up English - Mandarin, I want to cut and paste pinyin (with tone markers) into the search field and find it in the Mandarin - English dictionary. However, the search field does not seem to support pinyin with tone markers very well. It will not go to the correct entry unless I remove the letter with the tone marker and re-enter the letter without the tone marker.
haraldalbrecht - Actually, both forms show up in the table; at the moment it doesn't distinguish between the simplified and traditional forms of a radical (though it probably should), so both are lumped together under the same stroke count. This is on our list of possible 1.0 fixes (only requires some minor changes to the radical data file) but I'm not sure if we'll have time to actually do it by 5/16.
Alexis - the best way to do this is by simply highlighting the text and tapping the "switch languages" button - not only does this save you the trouble of copy-and-pasting, it also automatically converts tone marks to tone numbers. (you can do it within the same dictionary using "Copy to Input Field")
Alexis - the best way to do this is by simply highlighting the text and tapping the "switch languages" button - not only does this save you the trouble of copy-and-pasting, it also automatically converts tone marks to tone numbers. (you can do it within the same dictionary using "Copy to Input Field")
I'm stilling getting a consistent fatal error (line 4475) when I try to go from PlecoDict to any other program on my Clie N760. Happened in beta 2 too, but the line was 43?? (I lost the paper with the line number on it.)
Sandra
Sandra Rosenzweig
Technology Editor
California Lawyer, a Daily Journal publication
Sandra
Sandra Rosenzweig
Technology Editor
California Lawyer, a Daily Journal publication
You say "still" but I'm not seeing any earlier postings or messages on this - has this been happening since you first installed the software, or did it start up at some particular time afterwards? What is the error text that appears before the line number? Are you running any other third-party software on your Clie besides PlecoDict?
Go into your Clie's application launcher, tap on the clock at the top of the screen and select "Info" - what does it say after "Free Space" at the top of that screen? Ideally you should have several megabytes free, almost all of PlecoDict's data files can go on a Memory Stick - it seems unlikely that running out of memory would only cause a crash when you exit PlecoDict, but it's one possibility at least.
Go into your Clie's application launcher, tap on the clock at the top of the screen and select "Info" - what does it say after "Free Space" at the top of that screen? Ideally you should have several megabytes free, almost all of PlecoDict's data files can go on a Memory Stick - it seems unlikely that running out of memory would only cause a crash when you exit PlecoDict, but it's one possibility at least.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Mike--It's been happening since a few days after I installed beta 2. I didn't post the problem on beta 2 because I was coming so late into that beta that I figured someone or several someones had already reported it. I didn't have time then to do a real search of the forums to be sure, so I erred on the side of stupidity.
It certainly is possible that this is due to third party programs, because I didn't install any games for the first few days.
I have 928K left. At first I suspected a memory leak from/by one of the four games (the only other apps I have installed). But I have booted up after a reset, started PlecoDict (essentially a clean boot), then pushed the home button and gotten a fatal error. If I get the error this way, there is no error message beyond fatal error and Reset. If I get the error after using PlecoDict for even a few minutes, I get MemoryMgr.c,Line:4475. Invalidchunk ptr. If I get the plain fatal error message, when I hit Reset, the Clie resets. However, if I get the fatal MemoryMgr error message, I can't get the onscreen Reset to work and I have to do a manual hardware Reset--i.e. stick the stylus' wire tip into the hole on the back.
As for what else I have installed (besides the programs that came out of the box with the Clie): solitaire mania, xoki, nono, hmaki and blackjack drop. Except for Solitaire Mania, these are old, old programs and could easily have memory leaks.
Let me know if you want me to uninstall the games and/or reinstall PlecoDict.
Sandra
It certainly is possible that this is due to third party programs, because I didn't install any games for the first few days.
I have 928K left. At first I suspected a memory leak from/by one of the four games (the only other apps I have installed). But I have booted up after a reset, started PlecoDict (essentially a clean boot), then pushed the home button and gotten a fatal error. If I get the error this way, there is no error message beyond fatal error and Reset. If I get the error after using PlecoDict for even a few minutes, I get MemoryMgr.c,Line:4475. Invalidchunk ptr. If I get the plain fatal error message, when I hit Reset, the Clie resets. However, if I get the fatal MemoryMgr error message, I can't get the onscreen Reset to work and I have to do a manual hardware Reset--i.e. stick the stylus' wire tip into the hole on the back.
As for what else I have installed (besides the programs that came out of the box with the Clie): solitaire mania, xoki, nono, hmaki and blackjack drop. Except for Solitaire Mania, these are old, old programs and could easily have memory leaks.
Let me know if you want me to uninstall the games and/or reinstall PlecoDict.
Sandra
We've tested Beta 3 on a N610C (identical to the N760C except that it doesn't have a built-in MP3 player) and established that this is not a hardware-specific bug or an out-of-memory bug, so it sounds like it must either be a software conflict or something related to your particular PlecoDict settings or usage patterns. Memory leaks certainly wouldn't be a problem if you run PlecoDict immediately after a reset, and games aren't very likely to cause conflicts anyway, so it seems likely that this is something related to a combination of the N760C and your particular way of using PlecoDict.
Some follow-up questions, if you don't mind: when you first got your Clie, was its memory empty or had someone already installed programs on it? What changes have you made made to PlecoDict's preferences since you first installed it? Are all of PlecoDict's data files on your Memory Stick or are some of them in RAM? (aside from the handwriting recognition files, which of course have to be in RAM) If you used the automated installer then by default the font files would be in RAM and the dictionaries would be on your Memory Stick. Have you used the flashcard or custom dictionary features at all? How much? And did this include the use of the flashcard importer?
Some follow-up questions, if you don't mind: when you first got your Clie, was its memory empty or had someone already installed programs on it? What changes have you made made to PlecoDict's preferences since you first installed it? Are all of PlecoDict's data files on your Memory Stick or are some of them in RAM? (aside from the handwriting recognition files, which of course have to be in RAM) If you used the automated installer then by default the font files would be in RAM and the dictionaries would be on your Memory Stick. Have you used the flashcard or custom dictionary features at all? How much? And did this include the use of the flashcard importer?
OK. When I received my Cli?, It appeared that it had been wiped clean. I found nothing that would indicate prior use. All of PlecoDict's files are on the memory stick except the 1607K PlecoDict app itself. And the HWR files. I have used the flashcards quite a bit, but have never seen the flashcard importer. Wish I'd known about it sooner. I've never used the custom dictionary. My current preferences:
*Hardware Buttons:show pron [box] (only) in Edit lists; Round rep spacing to nearest day; don't duplicate cards in list.
*Navigation: everything is checked except Switch to dict order on tap; limit scroll rate to 250msec; L/R buttons move cursor; up/down buttons scroll; flash.
*Search: enable erase button; enable search button, require; enable recent query list, flip; single wildcard @, multi-wildcard $.
Characters: external coding B5; show headwords, replace identical characters, instant access, enable char magnification.
*Toolbar: 1=switch langs; 2=cycle dict; 3=copy to input field; 4=change text size; 5=simplified/trad; 6=add to flashcards; 7=handwriting input; button spacing 1 pixel.
*Input: everything is checked except left-handed HWR interface; use small font for radical input.
*Files: everything is checked. search paths are PALM/Programs/PlecoDict/
and /Applications/.
Flashcards: All hardware buttons have (none) in them; everything else is checked except for popup message; delete custom entries with cards.
Sandra
*Hardware Buttons:show pron [box] (only) in Edit lists; Round rep spacing to nearest day; don't duplicate cards in list.
*Navigation: everything is checked except Switch to dict order on tap; limit scroll rate to 250msec; L/R buttons move cursor; up/down buttons scroll; flash.
*Search: enable erase button; enable search button, require; enable recent query list, flip; single wildcard @, multi-wildcard $.
Characters: external coding B5; show headwords, replace identical characters, instant access, enable char magnification.
*Toolbar: 1=switch langs; 2=cycle dict; 3=copy to input field; 4=change text size; 5=simplified/trad; 6=add to flashcards; 7=handwriting input; button spacing 1 pixel.
*Input: everything is checked except left-handed HWR interface; use small font for radical input.
*Files: everything is checked. search paths are PALM/Programs/PlecoDict/
and /Applications/.
Flashcards: All hardware buttons have (none) in them; everything else is checked except for popup message; delete custom entries with cards.
Sandra
same bug I reported in beta 3
Mike,
Just a reminder that this issue was not fixed which you confirmed was indeed a bug. In the flashcard session, with certain settings the way I like them, mainly the PY showing first, when you reveal the answer, anything I have scribbled in the sketch pad disappears which does not allow me to check the correct answer with my guess.
Great progress! Cheers,
K.
Mike,
Just a reminder that this issue was not fixed which you confirmed was indeed a bug. In the flashcard session, with certain settings the way I like them, mainly the PY showing first, when you reveal the answer, anything I have scribbled in the sketch pad disappears which does not allow me to check the correct answer with my guess.
Great progress! Cheers,
K.
We tried to reproduce this here on a Treo 600 but were unable to do so - are you still using a Treo or have you switched to another model? How exactly do you have your flashcard session configured? (we tried it with Pinyin set to reveal first and the problem still didn't happen) Are you running any unusual third-party software? Is this a GSM or CDMA Treo?
A
Anonymous
Guest
DA navigation
Small issue - not able to use 5-way navigator to scroll down a large dictionary entry in DA mode. When at bottom of entry,pressing navigator down gets up response. Navigation is fine in main app.
Paul
Small issue - not able to use 5-way navigator to scroll down a large dictionary entry in DA mode. When at bottom of entry,pressing navigator down gets up response. Navigation is fine in main app.
Paul