H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Nothing is perfect! This is where you can post your ideas and wishes for functions you'd like to see in Help & Manual. Current version only please (H&M7).

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Dan Rosen
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Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2012 12:26 pm

H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Dan Rosen »

I have two changes / enhancement that would save me a lot of time in H&M 7.

1. When I double click to select word with the mouse, I can't extend the selection by dragging the mouse. This works OK in other applications, but not in H&N.

2. The way we paste graphic and screens into H&M, is to capture and edit them with another application, copy to clipboard and hit paste in H&M. This will save the image as a PNG. The issue is when I change a screen shot and paste over an existing image, H*M asks me if I want to replace. If I select yes to replace a file save dialog is shown, but the file name of the current graphic isn't defaulted or selected. When you have hundreds of images in a folder, it can be tough finding the name of the image you want to replace. Any chance you could offer an option in the replace to "replace and save (or overwrite)", or if not there, default the image save dialog to name of the image file you're replacing. This would save lots of time and also reduce the change of overwriting the wrong image file.

Thanks.
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Tim Green
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Re: H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your suggestions! Selection extension with the mouse is something that requires changes in the editor. We're looking into this in collaboration with the editor developers. Defaulting to the current image name in the save dialog is also a good idea. We will see if this can be implemented. :)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Tim Green
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Re: H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Dan,

Update: We've now implemented a quick replace function for graphics in the current stable beta of Help+Manual 7.2, which you can download here if you want to try it out:

http://download.ec-software.com/help-an ... 0-beta.exe

To use the new function you need to copy a graphic to the Windows Clipboard (a real graphic, not a reference to a graphic file). Then select the graphic you want to replace in the HM editor and press Ctrl+V. You will then be asked if you want to overwrite the current graphic file with the graphic in the clipboard. It will then be saved with the same existing name.

Note on Word: This doesn't work when copying graphics from Word because Word stores them as encapsulated data in the clipboard that must then be saved as an embedded graphic and then converted to an external file. You can use it with screenshots saved with PrintScreen (Fn+Space on the Surface Pro keyboard) and with graphics copied to the clipboard with graphics programs like Impict and TNT.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Martin Wynne
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Re: H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Tim Green wrote:It will then be saved with the same existing name.
Hi Tim,

Saved where? In the project or in the original source location?

This is important because the project folder may not be the first folder in the search path. Perhaps it should be, and the option to re-order the search folders changed?

regards,

Martin.
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Tim Green
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Re: H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Tim Green »

Martin Wynne wrote:Saved where? In the project or in the original source location?
It just replaces the existing graphics file, so there is no question of choosing the location. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Dan Rosen
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Re: H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Dan Rosen »

Tim, Thank you so much for the improvement, it will save us quite a bit of time. :) :) :)
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Martin Wynne
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Re: H&M 7 changes & enhancement requests

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Tim Green wrote:
Martin Wynne wrote:Saved where? In the project or in the original source location?
It just replaces the existing graphics file, so there is no question of choosing the location. 8)
Hi Tim,

Well yes, but...

When inserting an image you are given the option of copying it to the first folder in the search path, or adding its existing folder to the list of folders in the search path. If you do the former, and then at a later date do the latter for an image from the same folder, and then even later re-arrange the sort order for the search path folders, and you are getting very forgetful...

The end result after 10 years is a muddle. And if H&M is now going to overwrite image files when there could be two copies in different locations, an even greater muddle.

It's a great new feature, but as a precaution I have just spent a few hours removing all multiple image folders from my search path, and copying all resulting not-found images into the one remaining folder (a sub-folder in the project folder). Perhaps I should have done that years ago.

The downside is that I now have a folder with thousands of images, making it more time-consuming to find the one I want, and giving Windows Explorer indigestion when I ask it to display them as thumbnails.

p.s. I like the new forum favicon. :)

regards,

Martin.
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