Version History
2.1.0
Drastically changed the method used for peer recipe sharing. It is now done as a series of isolated HTTP requests. When peer sharing is enabled through the prefs, Flambé acts as a webserver to other clients in the same fashion the online database does. To search others' recipes, enter their IP address in the newly added field in the Online Recipe Search window. Finding and browsing others' cookbooks will be implemented in a future version.
2.0.9
Fixed a bug where Flambé crashed when accessing advanced options without having a valid cookbook in use.
Added various keyboard mnemonics.
Re-ordered controls for recipe instructions.
Rewrote the auto-complete functionality. The credit, category, and custom name fields now auto-complete, while the cuisine, ingredient, and remarks fields have been changed in the underlying functionality. The code now permits the easy addition of further auto-complete fields as necessary.
The recipe category and ingredient unit comboboxes now properly populate existing values.
Fixed a bug in which strangely-formed ingredients would crash Flambé when being parsed by Smart Add.
Fixed a bug in which Smart Add incorrectly included a word from the ingredient in the amount.
Implemented keyboard-friendly interface to the Browse Recipes screen. You can begin typing the name of the recipe you want and the closest match will be selected.
Fixed the Search by Ingredients functionality to work again.
Flambé now points to flambe.dingostick.com/recipes/ instead of /recipes2.0/. For the time being, the latter will remain online, but it will be removed in the future.
Made columns resizable in the Download Recipes window.
The New Cookbook window now properly closes when the ESC key is pressed.
Messages of zero length are no longer logged to the log window.
Fixed a bug in which numeric comparisons were not included in local recipe searches, effectively preventing Cook Time and Prep Time from being used.
Changed all online webpages locations with which Flambé interacts to include "f_" as a prefix. This clarifies things a bit on the web side.
The recipe requests options (View Requests, Request Recipe) have been moved directly to the Recipe menu and out of the Recipe->Requests submenu.
Flambé now searches through the online database using the Recipe->Search Online window. This functionality is nearly identical to the local searching. Minor changes were made to each window to reflect their search capabilities. Online searching similarly uses an alternate-click on the Search button to toggle between "AND" and "OR" joining of clauses. Queries are currently limited to no more than 50 results.
The Search button in the browse recipes window can be toggled between local and online with an alternate click.
Online recipe searches display results in the browse recipes window, just like local searches do. Click "Clear Results" to display recipes in your current cookbook. You can also right-click a recipe from the online database to download or view it online.
When viewing online search results, the Share Online button doubles as a Download button. The View Recipe button will display the online recipe in your default web browser. The Edit Recipe and Delete Recipe buttons do nothing.
Updated copyright dates from 2004-2005 to 2004-2006 and added a thank-you in the license :)
Added option in Smart Add window to specify the group to which ingredients belong.
Improved Smart Add to properly identify ingredients that have no units associated (such as "1 egg").
2.0.8
Fixed a bug where Flambé crashed when adding search criteria.
Fixed a bug that hid the Insert Recipe button when resizing the recipe window.
When adding a new instruction to a recipe, the text box is automatically re-focused for ease of data entry.
When adding a new custom pair to a recipe, the custom name text box is automatically re-focused for ease of data entry.
Rewrote the Smart Parse algorithm to provide more consistent results. Smart Parse no longer requires a list of known units (such as cup, tbsp, envelope, etc), but works by simply parsing based on whitespace, punctuation, etc.
Changed the Flambé menu such that Alt-B brings it up instead of Alt-A, which conflicted with the Search button.
The Search button is now reset from "Clear Results" back to "Search" when creating a new cookbook or switching to another cookbook.
Pressing the Escape key from within the Search window no longer mysteriously closes Flambé.
The "Info" option from the Flambé menu has been removed. The information from this window is now in the "About..." window, which has been slightly re-organized.
The Merge option from the Advanced window now properly allows you to merge a cookbook into the existing cookbook.
New help documentation is nearly complete and should be available with the next release.
2.0.7
Fixed bug that could inhibit making changes to recipes.
Fixed bug that prohibited the export of single recipes to XML.
Significantly improved the speed at which large XML recipe files are imported. (Approximately 15 minutes for 1700+ recipes before, about 2 minutes after.)
2.0.6
Fixed regular expression bug that caused Flambe to crash.
Provided mechanism for re-creating (and thus re-indexing) cookbooks.
Custom fields are now searchable; for example, a recipe that contains a 'Fat Grams' custom field with a value of '4' can be found through the search with Fat Grams <= 5. This required a database structure change and thus an upgrade of the cookbook in use.
The Browse Recipes window's listbox is now non-hierarchical, which properly allocates space for the text of a recipe and also makes each row slightly shorter.
Added the ability to manage read-only recipes, which will be indicated in the Browse Recipes window with a lock icon to the left of the name. The ability for users to create read-only recipes will be added in a future version. Read-only recipes cannot be modified, exported to XML, or exported to HTML.
2.0.5
Fixed bug with version check added to 2.0.4 that pointed to the wrong page.
Added log messages before the start and at the end of a recipe export to XML.
Added log messages before the start and at the end of a recipe import from XML.
After importing recipes from XML, the list of recipes will automatically be refreshed.
Pressing the F5 key when browsing recipes will refresh the list. If you have performed a search that restricts the recipes displayed, that restriction will not be maintained.
2.0.4
Fixed bug in which the File menu displayed "Hide Log Window" for users who hide the log window by default.
Clicking the "Search" button when a cookbook does not exist no longer opens the search window, which potentially allowed a NilObjectException.
The "Check for Updates" menu option now points to a page that will indicate whether you have the current version or not.
2.0.3(a)
Fixed bug in which Flambe would stay open even after closing the main window.
Completed recipe requesting. Users can now request recipes, view others' requests, submit suggestions for matches, and accept matches.
Enabled exporting recipes to HTML.
Added advanced actions window that will include non-standard or advanced actions.
Added option to advanced actions window that allows user to manipulate auto-complete list (cuisine, ingredient, remarks).
Added option to advanced actions window that allows user to upload all recipes to the online database.
Fixed bug that prevented Cook Time and Prep Time from being updated in an existing recipe.
Modified Prep and Cook times to be null or numeric only and added the qualifier "(minutes)" to imply minutes for preparation or cook time.
Added local searching with a variable number of search criteria, currently including all base recipe (though not ingredient) fields, such as Name, Credit, Category, Cook Time, and so on. Searches are currently limited to ten criteria. Searching returns all results into the main browse recipe window, and results can be easily cleared.
Added 'Quick & Easy' option to local searching that will quickly return all recipes in the current cookbook that take 30 minutes or less to prepare and cook and have eight or fewer ingredients.
2.0.2(a)
Re-implemented online requesting and viewing. Still need to be able to close requests.
2.0.10
When displaying online search results, a double-click on a recipe now downloads it into your current cookbook instead of trying to open it, which previously crashed Flambé.
The browse recipes window title changes to "Flambé - Online Search Results" when an online search is performed, to "Flambé - Local Search Results" for local searches, and "Flambé - Quick & Easy Recipes" when showing those in your current cookbook. All other instances display "Flambé - (your cookbook name).flambe".
Fixed a bug in Smart Add that omitted the ingredient name in ingredients such as "2 (1 lb) packages ground beef".
Fixed keyboard mnemonics in the Recipes window so you can use Alt-P and Alt-O for moving recipes/groups up and down, respectively, in the list.
In the Browse Recipes window, the F3 button now opens the currently chosen search method (local or online).
Custom elements of a recipe are now stored in an independent 'custom' table. This requires an upgrade of your cookbook files to the newest schema. However, to prevent Flambé from getting bloated with legacy database upgrades, any new schema changes will require you first export your cookbook to XML, upgrade Flambé, then import it from XML. This has the added benefit of cleaning out any stale records that exist and re-indexing all tables.
2.0.1(a)
Added menu option to open/close the log window.
'Recent' cookbooks are now saved to disk in the proper order (based upon the order in the File -> Open Recent menu).
Fixed bug that hid the 'Delete Recipe' button when returning from Fullscreen mode.
When gathering ingredients from databases to do an online search, results are now case-insensitive (ie, "Milk" and "milk" are the same).
Added ability to choose ListBox highlight colors. These values are saved as ThemeColor1 and ThemeColor2 in the prefs.xml file and default to F5F5FF and FFFFFF, respectively.
Added preference (HideLogWindow) to dictate whether log window should be open when program starts.
2.0.0(a)
Complete UI redesign, including a split of functionality into a separate window for each major function. For example, peer to peer recipe transfers have their own window, as does online ingredient searching, and so on.
- Simplified interfaces when possible. For example, the window for browsing recipes now has a single ListBox rather than two ListBoxes and an EditField. The new ListBox has columns for Name, Category, Cuisine, and Credit.
- The peer transfer window has a single Connect/Disconnect button, and a single EditField for remote address/port (defaulting to the port set in the global preferences, which itself defaults to 7007).
Added Fullscreen option for many windows, toggled with the F11 key.
Integration of XML into the internal and external data storage. When sending a recipe to a peer, it is sent as plain (XML) text, not as a serialized set of soverign strings. This greatly increases the ability to modify the protocol in the future, decreases the chance of an error, and makes the internal workings much cleaner. This means 2.0 is incompatible with previous versions in terms of peer transfers.
Added ability to import from and export to XML.
New internal database engine (SQLite) used, speeding up database access greatly.
Added menu option to convert from previous Flambé coobook to new version.
Added ingredient groupings to allow logical association of ingredients, such as "Crust", "Filling", "Dry", and so on.
Split former "Amount" element of an ingredient into "Quantity" and "Units".
Added "Optional" value for ingredients.
Added "Prep Time" value for recipes.
Added "Cook Time" value for recipes.
Added ability to insert an entire recipe as an ingredient to another. For example, into "Monkey Bread", you can insert the recipe for "Sweet Bread Dough".
Added ability to move ingredients and groups up or down to change their order.
Added ability to separate instructions into separate textual components rather than a single string.
Added ability to move instructions up or down to change their order.
Added custom key/value pairs for recipes. For example, "Fat Grams." associated with "1.0".
Added preferences option to delete duplicate recipes or not, rather than always deleting.
Added "Log" window into which error, warning, or informational messages will be printed. You can clear all messages or save to disk through its contextual menu.
Changed recipe downloading to use only ID numbers now, removing ability to download entire categories or cuisines (speeding up the download process). Also limited number of downloads to 100 per request (preventing malicious requests from slowing server).
1.6.0(b)
Updated copyright notice
The recipe download window has been merged into the main window.
The Cookbook menu has been removed. The File menu now has an "Open Recent" option that shows recently viewed cookbooks. With these changes, the restriction that cookbooks must be in the same directory as Flambé has been removed.
Zero-length strings are no longer logged.
Local searching has been added to allow users to find recipes in local cookbooks easily.
Recipe requesting has been implemented to allow users to request a recipe from the rest of the Flambé community.
The first version of the documentation has been released, and a menu option has been added to open the local help (if it exists) or the online documentation.
1.5.9(b)
When selecting a cookbook to use, Flambé gathers information about what cuisines, ingredients and remarks were entered by the user. These are then added to the auto-complete to improve the usability.
Downloading recipes can now be done by ID number, cuisine, and category. Each has a textbox that can contain comma-delimited values and the ID field can use ranges. For example, you can download recipes by inputting '174,180-200' into the ID field, 'Fish,Soups' into the category field, and/or 'Indian,Mexican,Chinese' into the cuisine field.
A new feature allows you to search all online recipes by ingredient. Flambé will determine what ingredients you've used before and will present them with checkboxes. Selecting an ingredient and initiating a search returns all downloadable recipes that use that ingredient. Selecting multiple ingredients finds recipes that use at least one of those ingredients.
1.5.8(b)
Added check to remove duplicates when downloading or peer-sharing. This will be a user-changeable preference in the next release.
Flambé checks if a cookbook exists before allowing you to download or transfer recipes between other users.
Double-clicking a cookbook, category, or recipe when connected to a peer initiates that download. (Suggestion thanks to Aaron B.)
Two new items are now in the ToDo list.
1.5.7(b)
Internal beta not released.
1.5.6(b)
Added the ability to download multiple single recipes or a range of recipes using the Download Recipes window.
1.5.5(b)
Fixed a minor bug with downloading recipes from the web.
Re-implemented peer-to-peer recipe sharing.
1.5.4(b)
Changed the splash menu to an About box. This decreases startup time.
Rearranged the add/edit/delete ingredient buttons.
Resized the main window, increasing the size of various controls
Added a Smart Ingredient line to add and edit ingedients
Gave Recipe functions a menu
Gave Cookbook functions a menu
Redid cookbook panel, adding a cookbook functions group
Initial setup of ingredient, remarks, and cuisine auto-complete
Overhauled peer-to-peer recipe sharing to greatly improve efficiency. Sharing is not yet complete, so it has been removed from this version altogether, but it will be re-implemented in the next version.
1.5.10(b)
Added license to 'Flambé' menu.
Reconfigured the way recipes are added to the website. Old versions of Flambé will most likely have problems interacting with the online database.
Created a 'Share Online' button as part of a new section that will allow cookbook management, such as renaming cookbooks, merging them, and so on. The 'Share Online' button will upload all recipes in the cookbook to the website at once.
Added listbox to the Browse Recipes page that will log all messages regarding uploading recipes.
1.5.1(b)
There was a problem with printing that would leave quotations doubled up. This should be fixed now.
Previous beta versions worked on a week lease - the user would have one week to use the beta version before they would have to re-download a new copy of the beta. Now, the beta versions simply check themselves against the newest version, notifying the user if there is a new copy. Beta versions will always check on startup for a new version; this cannot be disabled.
An initial version of recipe downloading is now setup. To use this feature, select "Download Recipe" from the Recipe menu. You will need to know the unique ID number for the recipe you will download. This is the feature that enables users to get a benefit from the online recipe submission - recipes submitted are now available to be downloaded at:
http://flambe.dingostick.com/recipes/
A new "Browse Recipes Online" menu has also been added for this.
Some controls in the prefs window have been resized.
1.5.0(b)
The Ingredients, Remarks, and Cuisine fields auto-complete on a built-in set of words; for example, "Flour", "Sifted", and "Cajun," respectively. More will be added as more data are collected.
To make adding ingredients easier, a Smart Ingredient Addition field has been added to the Add and Edit Ingredient windows. Typing "1 cup Flour, sifted" will add "1 cup" to the Amount field, "Flour" to the Ingredient field, and "Sifted" to the Remarks field. This should speed up addition of ingredients.
Furthermore, for those who want to import a recipe that already exists in electronic format, a new "Smart Add" button has been added to allow multiple lines of ingredients to be parsed at once in the same fashion as the above feature. Both are still initial versions and may not recognize certain keywords, but it should still work for many cases.
The main window has been slightly increased in size, and various controls have been increased in size as appropriate.
With the addition of "Smart Add", the ingredient buttons have been moved below the Ingredients box, which itself has been made wider with this new space.
An information window, although minimal, has been implemented to go along with the menu item.
Recipes and Ingredients now have their own menu.
The cookbook panel has grouped items together as necessary. Cookbook features will be added to this panel in the future, such as "Rename Cookbook".
1.4.3
The main window gets focus after adding or editing an ingredient. This was a bit of an annoyance when adding ingredients.
When first adding an ingredient, the Name field is automatically selected. This is also an ease of use change.
Several controls were moved or resized in order to have things look better in Mac OS X.
1.4.2
The Linux and Mac versions seemed to have not had the problem fixed that 1.4.1 was supposed to take care of. All code that referenced checking if it was a beta version has been commented out, so there should be no problem now.
When starting Flambé with existing cookbooks, it did not properly show existing categories and recipes. This should be fixed now.
1.4.1
Apparently some people were having problems with Flambe telling them that their beta version has expired. Hopefully this version fixes the problem.
1.4.0
Seems stable, so this is the first full non-beta release.
1.3.6(b)
Fixed bug that prevented proper creation of a database.
1.3.5(b)
Implemented the first version of online sharing. When a user enables global recipe sharing, adding or editing a recipe uploads that recipe to an online database which will be searchable in an upcoming version. If not enabled, there is a button to the left of the "Edit Recipe" button, captioned "Share Online", which uploads the current recipe. Though not perfect, a hashing mechanism prevents duplicate recipes.
1.3.4(b)
Fixed a bug that caused ingredients to persist across double- clicking a recipe to edit it.
Right-clicks for selecting recipes no longer act as left- clicks. REALbasic tends to treat left- and right-clicks as equal, so I will be removing this functionality from the program in the next couple versions.
Added in some checks for bad Preferences which fix the NilObjectException that gets thrown.
1.3.3(b)
Checking for new versions is now optional.
Set the font for all buttons, text fields, labels, etc., to size 11, Fixed.
Program version is now officially "Beta" (was "Development").
1.3.2(b)
Flambé now checks itself against the current version, which is found at http://flambe.dingostick.com/current.version When you load Flambé and have an older version, it will ask you if you want to visit the Flambé website. There may be the option to turn this off later. Not for now.
Expect documentation sometime soon.
Expect the Linux version to be in a tarball instead of simply being gzipped.
1.3.1(b)
Fixed problem in which a user could try to add a recipe but not have a cookbook. This caused a NilObjectException and caused the program to exit.
1.3.0(b)
When printing and viewing recipes, remarks are now comma- separated ("1 cup flour sifted" becomes "1 cup flour, sifted")
Printed recipes now bear a "flambé" image at the top.
Add Recipe, Save Changes, and Clear buttons for adding and modifying recipes no longer use keyboard shortcuts due to HCI ambiguity (add ingredient and add recipe used ALT-A, etc.) Default buttons for add and save, however, are still enabled.
Double-clicking on a recipe when browsing recipe now edits that recipe. Double-clicking on an ingredient when adding or editing a recipe edits that ingredient.
Repositioned and resized various elements used in browsing, adding/editing, and transfering.
As a precautionary measure, cookbook titles are now limited to 213 characters. Adding ".flambe" to the end for the file name gives a max file name length of 220, Windows' limit. This may be change at some later point.
1.2.1(b)
When adding or editing recipes, you can now use keyboard shortcuts (ALT-D, ALT-I, ALT-A) for deleting, editing and adding ingredients.
Fixed bug that erased a recipes ingredients when saving changes to that recipe.
1.2.0(b)
Reprogrammed database connection to be static. A single database connection is maintained constantly, so larger databases have quicker access times.
This version is also compiled with RB5.5, not with a beta release.
1.1.0(a)
Completed networking for transfers of full cookbooks.
Implemented "Check for Updates" menu item that directs the user to the Flambé home page.
Implemented "Feedback" menu item that directs the user to a simple email form on DingoStick.com.
1.0.0
Initial version.
