Xojo 2019 Release 3
Xojo 2019 Release 3 hit the internet today. It’s only been three weeks since R2 was released and while this release has a number of bug fixes that are important this release is mostly about iOS.
R3 introduces a new ColorGroup class that will eventually come to all targets but for now it’s only available for iOS. The ColorGroup has its own editor and allows the developer to set or choose colors they want to use. You can choose Single, Dual, or Named colors. I’m not entirely sure the point of the Single color, but Dual allows you to change a single color based on Light or Dark mode, and then there is the Named option.
I feel that the Named option is the more valuable of the settings as it allows you to select what type of ‘color’ you’re using and allow to use, or modify the default colors in Light or Dark Mode. For example, if I simply wanted to use the default colors of an iOSLabel I can select the ColorGroup from a new popup in the Inspector. The control then will automatically use the Label color. But if I want to override the defaults I can do so here for both Light and Dark modes.
This has the promise to help Xojo developers that are supporting Light and Dark Modes in their applications. Since it’s currently for iOS only and I’m not actively working on an iOS project I can’t speak to its effectiveness and usefulness in coding. I feel that the ColorGroup editor was slow to respond to color picker changes. If you have some firsthand knowledge of the ColorGroup in action please leave a comment below.
The iOSTextArea control has a new Border Style and Border Color properties that allow you to create rectangle and rounded borders. SF Symbols can be retrieved by the iOS framework using the iOSImage.SystemImage shared method. The iOSRectangle now supports Blue effects.
After iOS there are number of new additions and changes that are part of the API 2.0 work. If you are interested please read the release notes. I am not actively using API 2.0 in any projects so these changes don’t mean anything to me yet.
Some Windows bug fixes: The Draw Caution/Note/Stop icons are updated to the newer look for Windows Vista and later. The app now terminates when the system sends a shutdown message (like when an installer is trying to update the app). The GroupBox no longer draws funny when the caption font size is different than the default.
Some Linux bug fixes: Changing the Label Text Color no longer leaks memory. Clipping the listbox graphics in the CelLTextPaint or CellBackgroundPaint now works as expected.
With iOS Dark Mode out of the way, hopefully this means that 2020 R1 will have the long awaited Web 2.0. My gut feeling is that Web 2.0 won’t be released until Xojo.Connect at the end of March and even then it might be only in beta form. Web 2.0 is a complete rewrite from the ground up that’s been underway for a while. Maybe I’m wrong but experience says they’ll want something big and flashy to show off. Of course I also expect more from Android but I still expect that to be in alpha and nowhere near ready for release.
R3 is mainly an iOS release for Dark Mode and some changes for API 2.0 and then mostly bug fixes. As always, before using you should read the release notes and then thoroughly test your application before issuing any releases.
Source: BKeeney Briefs