Nota Bene SWS 8.0 Updates

Scholar’s Workstation 8.0I
Summary of Features and Fixes

Release I includes a number of changes:

When a new line is necessary when typing at the bottom of a page, the amount that the previous line is moved up has been increased, to avoid descenders on the new line (as text is added) from getting cut off (although this was not a problem for most fonts, it was an issue with a few fonts, such as Verdana).

Changes have been made to make it easier to add outline entries in Outline View.

Additional defaults, such as directory sort order and the last active spell checker, are now retained when reinstalling.

NB once again (this was removed in the initial releases of v8) automatically converts text notes that contain only a citation into citation-generated notes (the former would always remain notes if the bibliographic style was changed, while the latter can be changed into short-form in-text citations).

If you click on the “Find” and “Replace” labels on the Find/Replace dialog, the entire (appropriate) find or replace string in the box to the right of these labels will be highlighted, making it easier to delete the existing text and type something else instead.

In addition, a few bugs have been fixed, and some existing features slightly modified: (a) Archiva Pro can once again look up ISBN numbers; (b) URL’s can be pasted directly into Nota Bene without corruption; (c) user-written programs that were assigned to Phrase Libraries can now be cleared; (d) the function to recompose the document has been simplified; (e) the default Auto-Update status for note-taking files now shows up properly in the dialog; and (f) issues with parts of the screen blanking when the document has to scroll horizonatally as you type text have been addressed.

This release also includes all the changes in Release H (March, 2007):

Ctrl+F7 now works better to look up something in Ibidem:
--It goes to the Ibidem Quick Lookup dialog even if the cursor is not on a word (as was previously required), thus making this a quick way to look up anything in Ibidem.
--The term you are looking up is now highlighted (and that field has focus), so if you want to search for something else instead, you can type in the new search without first deleting what is there (it will automatically delete what is there, saving keystrokes).

We now convert Endnote files (containing characters from European languages) better (Endnote previously used ANSI; now it uses UTF-8).

The creation of Orbis synonym files has been made a little easier (for example, you can clear both headword and synonym list automatically).

The creation of new Ibidem databases has been simplified.

Previously, Ibidem auto-field update would not work to add annotations to note-taking file if there was no annotation when the note-taking file was originally created; now it will do so (but note that it will only automatically add this to note-taking files created starting with 8.0H)

You can now suppress the display of notes in a file, so that you can see more of your text while editing. While notes are suppressed, you can still enter, edit, and delete them, and—if Note InfoTips are turned on—see their content. Suppressed notes can either be printed, or suppressed during printing as well.

We now save a copy of the NB.INI file (where most program customizations are saved) whenever we exit; if for some reason you need to to restore the one from INITIAL, when you restart we will ask if you want to restore the “safe” settings; if you don't do so immediately after restarting, you can go to Tools, Preferences, and select Customized Settings to restore them later (but this time it will restore the ones in effect right before you copied it over from INITIAL, not the ones saved the last time you exited).

The Quick Files list is saved in a separate FILES.INI, so it does not get lost if for any reason you need to restore the shipping version of the NB.INI file (where it is currently stored).

Nota Bene now remembers the folder from which you last selected an image/object (Insert, Image/Object).

In addition, many changes have been made to Archiva (this of course only affects those who have Archiva):

Archiva library searches are now under Select, On-Line Libraries (rather than Web Search); the shortcut is Ctrl+L. In addition, this option appears under the Archiva main menu.

Archiva Auto Field Help has been added, and now displays (a) the name of the library being searched (along with any other available information); (b) the database type (there are a number of basic groups of z39.50 libraries); (c) general field data (z39.50); (d) database-type-specific field info (if any); (e) library-specific field info (if any); and (f) general searching instructions.

A drop-down list has been added to the left of each field so that you can select various search parameters for fields (“match beginning of field”; “truncate left”; “truncate right”; etc.).

A few configuration options have been added, including one to address issues related to proxy server connections.

New formats have been added, including (among others):
--EBSCO search (both full form and list should now work after the recent EBSCO encoding changes).
--Google Books capture has been updated to reflect encoding changes.
--Where possible, Amazon pages now retrieve the data on a page even if that work is not in the Library of Congress, although it still supplements it where possible with this LoC data (previously, lacking a LoC entry, it would get nothing).
--Marc format (an industry standard library format) has been added.
--Other formats have been fixed.
--Additional libraries, especially in England, have been added to the On-Line Library search dialog.

Release H also fixes various bugs that have been brought to our attention. Among other things, 8.0H fixes: (a) RTF conversion so that it preserves block indented text better and overrides the Word default to use roman numerals for endnotes; (b) a lockup in a particular case when going to Format, Document Overview, Notes, Edit; (c) another “application error” when trying to save customized user-defined frameworks; (d) custom headers/footers when setting the option “First and All Remaining” pages; (e) problems with the left margin adjusting 1/4 inch to the right (at print time only) if you go into Draft View; (f) a problem with the ruler-line display of tabs (they were drawn at the wrong position) if margins were suppressed in Page-Layout View (with Shift+Alt +F5); (g) the failure of the Undelete Clipboard dialog to close even if the Keep Open check box was unchecked); (h) the Go To dialog so it is now properly disabled if a note-input window is open; (i) the problem where sometimes when clicking inside a blue citation area, the display would be turned off (you had to press Esc, etc., to be able to move around again); (j) the inability to double click on a 3-letter word when trying to add it to the open Ctrl+Alt + F8 index-marking toolbar; (k) problems with print modes preventing index auto-mark files from working; (l) the failure of the designated separator between index entries and page numbers to be used consistently for all levels; (m) the occasional failure of print modes in index entries to be reset automatically to normal before outputting page numbers or subsequent entries; (n) a similar problemin Tables of Contents; (o) the incomplete display of toolbars if Archiva was unable to access the internet to check for updates when starting; (p) the program so that you can open a Nota Bene file by clicking on it in Windows Explorer, even if the filename contains a hyphen surrounded by spaces; (q) the confusing introductory message and first option when you get an error when reopening a manuscript file after an error; (r) a Vista printer issue that causes the various keyboard diagrams to print only black boxes, not the assigned characters; and (s) a problem when going from a style manual with 4 or more levels to style manual with only 3 (Chicago), among others.

Since this version includes these and other fixes (including, but not limited to, those included in 8.0a, 8.0b, 8.0c, 8.0d, 8.0e, 8.0f, and 8.0g, as noted below), and is our most up-to-date and supportable release, it is important that you upgrade to it, even if you are not experiencing any of the above issues.

This release also includes all the changes in Release G (September, 2007):
Release G addresses a number of issues:

New Save As filters for converting NB files to text (TXT file type) with ASCII, ANSI, Unicode or Unicode Big Endian character sets (the latter is used for transferring to Mac and other systems) have been added. Old filters that did not work well and were confusing to some users have been removed. The best option for converting files to Word, Word Perfect and most other word processors is to Save As RTF (Rich Text Format), and that remains unchanged.

Under Vista, when clicking on an NB file to open it in Nota Bene, in earlier releases of NB another copy of Nota Bene would open, rather than opening the selected file in the running version of Nota Bene. This has now been fixed.

Changes have been made to Archiva/Archiva Pro to improve the foundation that enables us to add more sites and formats (and extend existing ones).

A few bugs have been fixed, most notably one which affected on what pages headers and footers would print in certain special circumstances.

This release also includes all the changes in Release F (May, 2007):
Release F addresses two issues, one that some users experienced when trying to generate note-taking files, and the other relating to styles (but this latter would be encountered only in unusual situations).

This release also includes all the changes in Release E (April, 2007):
Release E primarily includes major changes and enhancements to Archiva, and adds support for Archiva Pro.

Release E also includes various bug fixes. (The most important change has to do with the way manuscript and similar files handle styles which are defined and then redefined repeatedly throughout the file—this should now work much better.)

This release also includes all the changes in Release D (February, 2007):
There are two new features, one major, and one minor, in release D:

Release D includes support for Archiva, our new, innovative, web research and citation capture tool

In Ibidem, the ability to choose either full field-name descriptions, or short two-character mnemonics, or a floating format where the form used is based on the width of the column (adjusted by dragging the border between the field descriptions and the field data with the mouse) has now been added to the View menu

Release D also includes a few bug fixes, including:

A problem with Orbis on network drives has been corrected

When styles are redefined (as in a manuscript file), NB once again uses the settings of the most recent definition, rather than the first definition of that style in a file

When you move a framework/outline element after the last element in a file, it no longer is moved to the very end of the file (for example, after the notes or bibliography), but is positioned after the last element in the framework/outline, as it should be

Headers and footers will now print even if margins (and therefore display of headers and footers) are turned off (with Ctrl+Shift+F5)

Font color now works in the envelope printing dialog

Customized note settings are now preserved when you reselect a style manual (unless you change styles)

This release also includes all the changes in Release C (December, 2006):
Release C includes a few bug fixes, including:

A problem with saving Greek and Hebrew text to RTF has been corrected

Ctrl+8 once again remembers the last selected background color

When annotation InfoTips are shown, Alt+PgUp now moves back to the previous annotation

When note and other formats are changed, the older versions of the commands are once again properly replaced (in 8.0b, they were sometimes left intact, with the modified changes added as duplicate commands)

A few changes have been made to Arabic keyboards and character display (applies only to those who have purchased Arabic)

If inserting a note using the Insert, Notes menu, the program first checks to make sure that the note format has already been defined

This release also includes all the changes in Release B (November, 2006):

Version 8.0b also offers one additional enhancement. A feature added to the original version 8.0 was the ability to display the Windows File Type information in the File, Open dialog. This works well, but in some cases (in folders with over 10,000 files, or with hundreds of different extensions/file types) it can slow down display of the directory. Accordingly, version 8.0b allows you to choose whether you want File Types displayed, or only the actual Extension. Note that neither option suppresses the Type column in the File Open dialog, but instead only changes what is displayed there. To make your selection, go to Tools, Preferences, Directories (Default).

In addition, this release also includes a few bug fixes. The most significant of these are:

A memory-management problem with footnotes (but one that is encountered only in limited situations) has been addressed

A number of related problems with going to Draft View when notes restart numbering on every page have been resolved

A long-standing (but occasional) problem with getting a spurious “Cannot modify protected text” error in outlines has finally (after many attempts) been reproduced and resolved

A discrepancy between page breaks in individual files, and in those same files when part of a manuscript file, has now been corrected

A few redlining issues (related to print styles/modes) have been fixed

Ctrl+PgUpDn should now work much better when paging through endnotes

This release also includes all the changes in Release A (August, 2006):

You no longer need to have a printer driver installed to run Nota Bene (see below).

If you create a note-taking file, and include it in an Orbis textbase, and then when any paragraph from that file is an Orbis match, a yellow popup box will show you what work it comes from (i.e., the record to which it is linked) and the color of the filename at the bottom of the screen will change. You can suppress this auto popup, and if you do so, you can click the book icon to show the same information.

Orbis indexing has been speeded up again: It is 2-3 times faster than version 8.0, and 10 times faster than version 7.0. (Of course, actual searches—as opposed to initial indexing—have always been virtually instantaneous.)

Styles defined in the body can now be used inside footnotes.

You can click on endnotes to open them (previously, this worked only for endnotes that were on the first page).

Records or databases can be imported from RefWorks and RIS format to Ibidem.

You can suppress the message (displayed if your database had more than 16,000 records, or if you were displaying a subset, not the entire database) about new records not being automatically added to Table View (use Ibidem, click Tools, Options).

You can now set up File, Manage Files to open the file management program of your choice instead of Windows Explorer. To do this, create a Link Type (under Insert, Hyperlinks) named “File:Manager” (it must have this exact name, but without the quotes)—Nota Bene will use the command string you specify when defining that special link type and invoke it instead of opening Explorer.

When doing a cross-file Replace, you can now choose to have NB automatically save files each time a change is made.

8.0a also includes some bug fixes. We’re pleased to report that as a result of extensive beta testing on v. 8.0 (that is, prior to its first formal release in March, 2006), the bugs that we have been finding (and fixing) are mostly bugs that affect only a very small percentage of users (e.g., an error in converting NB for DOS files to NB for Windows format has been corrected—most NB users today never used NB for DOS, and most of those who did converted their files long ago) or bugs that do not significantly impact program functionality (e.g., we added the missing description for the Anonymous CMS template, fixed the Next Window button on the toolbar [but Alt+F9 still worked], and allowed ampersands to be used in file names in File, New, among other similar issues).

The most important bugs that have been fixed in this version are as follows.

The most serious issue: There is the possibility with version 8.0 of corruption to note-taking files when restoring a backup copy. This would occur only under extremely unusual circumstances—so unusual, in fact, that we have had no reports of it actually happening in spite of this version being widely used for many months (both as a beta and as a final release). However, since we discovered (in-house) a theoretical possibility of corruption of note-taking files when restoring an Ibidem database, we suggest that after installing version 8.0a, you make new backup copies of your databases and note-taking files, and discard any backup copies made with version 8.0. This risk of corruption would apply to you only if your answer to ALL of the following questions is yes: (1) Do you have note-taking files that are linked to your Ibidem database? (2) Do you make backup copies using File, Backup Database (as opposed to using Windows Explorer to copy database files)? (3) Do you include your note-taking files in the backup copy made through File, Backup Database? (4) Are the file names for your note-taking files something other than the default names (database name followed by a dash and then the record number). (5) Are your file names (including the full path) longer than 32 characters and do at least two of them have exactly the same number of characters? (6) Are you restoring from a backup made with version 8.0 (there is no risk if the backup was made with 7.0 or 8.0a)? If your answer to all of these questions is yes, there is a risk of corruption of your note-taking files if you restore from your backup copy. There is no risk to your database files, just to the note-taking files. (And even here, you are not likely to lose any data, since by default Nota Bene now keeps up to 15 backups of every file, including your note-taking files, unless you have explicitly disabled this.) But just to be safe, we recommend that everyone install version 8.0a and make new backups.

The most frequently reported issue: Nota Bene has always used a printer driver to generate the on-screen display. In version 7.0, if you installed Nota Bene on a computer that you never used for printing (i.e., no printer driver was installed), a message would pop up telling you to go to the Windows Control Panel to install a printer (the printer does not need to be attached to the computer and you do not need to own a printer). In version 8.0, this message was inadvertently omitted and a confusing message about “error 53” appeared in its place. In version 8.0a, the need for any message at all is eliminated by a new way of automatically compensating when the the program is installed on a computer that does not have a printer driver installed. Now Nota Bene will automatically install what it needs to generate the display. If no printer driver has been installed, you will see “[No Printer Installed]” as the selected printer in the Nota Bene print dialog. You won’t be able to print until you install a printer, but “no printer” will be sufficient to generate the display.

The most annoying issue: Some people encountered the cursor jumping away from the insertion point (to the beginning/ending of the current or previous line) when editing at the very beginning/ending of the first or last line on a page. This behaviour depended on a variety of conditions being met, and was encountered by only a small minority of users. But those who encountered it certainly found it annoying. It has now been fixed.

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