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SendLink Changelog

What's new in SendLink 1.9.1

Dec 8, 2009
  • SlideShows / Shrink-To-Fit:
  • SlideShows have been enhanced with a shrink-to-fit feature in this release of SendLink.
  • The purpose of the shrink-to-fit feature is to make images that are larger than the display area of the remote user's browser window fit so that they can see the entire image without having to scroll either horizontally or vertically. Images are scaled down proportionately so that no image distortion takes place. Images that are small enough to fit within the remote user's browser window are displayed at their native resolution.
  • Images are sent from your computer to the remote user's at full resolution. This way, it has the maximum information available in order to show the best image possible independent of the display resolution or browser window size. Also, remote users who choose to print a downloaded image will get the best possible result from the native resolution of the image.
  • The need for shrink-to-fit is driven by the disparity between the high resolution of today's multi-megapixel digital cameras and the comparitively lower resolution of the typical computer display. For instance, a typical 3-megapixel digital camera produces images that are 2048x1536 pixels (WxH), whereas a typical display resolution is 1024x768 pixels. With shrink-to-fit enabled, remote users will be able to view your digital pictures conveniently no matter what display resolution they are using or how they have their browser sized.
  • Powered by JavaScript:
  • The shrink-to-fit feature requires JavaScript to be enabled in the remote user's browser in order to work its magic. Because a very large and growing number of websites require that JavaScript be enabled in order to be viewed properly, most remote users will already have it enabled. So this is not going to be an issue for most remote users. But if shrink-to-fit does not appear to be working, have them check that JavaScript (aka Active Scripting for IE users) is enabled.
  • If a remote user somehow gets by surfing the Web with JavaScript disabled, the slideshows you send them will simply revert to the SendLink 1.9 level of functionality, which shows images at their native pixel size without the benefit of the shrink-to-fit capability.
  • All modern graphical browsers support JavaScript, so it is simply a question of whether or not it is enabled.
  • Browser Compatibility:
  • The shrink-to-fit feature has been tested with Internet Explorer 6.0 and Firefox 1.0. Other versions of IE should work just fine, as should browsers that use the IE engine. Likewise, browsers sharing Firefox's Mozilla heritage should work just fine.
  • There are some minor differences in the implementations of these two browsers, however. For instance, IE users who resize their browser while viewing a slideshow will see the viewed image size track the changes to the browser window as they are being made, while Firefox users will only get the updated image when they complete the browser resize operation.
  • Main Window / Display State Saving:
  • Previous versions of SendLink have remembered the size and position of the Main Window between executions, enhancing usability by allowing you to anticipate where it will appear when you first run SendLink or when you restore it from the Windows System Tray.
  • Starting with this release, SendLink also remembers whether the Main Window was open (visible) or closed (hidden) when you exit the program. If the Main Window was not open, having been dismissed to the Windows System Tray, then it will not be opened automatically when you run SendLink the next time. Likewise, if the Main Window was open when you exit SendLink, then it will be opened in the same size and position the next time you run the program.
  • In prior versions of SendLink, the Main Window was always opened at startup.
  • Launching SendLink via a Windows Shortcut:
  • If you launch SendLink via a Windows shortcut, it is possible to set the program to be run Minimized, Maximized or as a Normal Window.
  • If you choose Minimized or Maximized, that preference will override the saved display state. The last display state is still saved, however, so if you subsequently change the shortcut to run SendLink as a Normal Window, the Main Window will display according to the display state at the time SendLink was last exited.
  • Note that the Main Window does not ordinarily support either the minimized or maximized display state. So, once you restore the Main Window to the normal state from either the minimized or maximized state, neither of those is available again until the next time you run SendLink via the shortcut.
  • In prior versions, SendLink did not fully support being run in either Minimized or Maximized display state. While it respected the shortcut setting, minimizing or maximizing as directed, it subsequently got confused about the size and position to restore to. That problem has been corrected with this release.
  • Windows Shutdown:
  • A problem was recently discovered that created a potential for data loss when shutting down Windows with SendLink running. Related actions, such as logging off or restarting Windows, also exposed SendLink to this possible data loss.
  • SendLink buffers data in memory for performance reasons. When certain checkpoint conditions are hit, SendLink then flushes any modified data to disk. One such checkpoint is when SendLink exits, that way no buffered data is allowed to slip through the cracks unsaved. But Windows terminates running applications in a completely different manner during a shutdown than it normally does. Because of that, SendLink's exit checkpoint was never hit, thus creating the potential data loss scenario. We say potential because, if one of the other checkpoints was hit prior to the Windows shutdown, then the buffered data was saved and there was no data loss. And that turned out to be the case most of the time, so most of the time no data loss occurred. Nevertheless, every once in a while you could manage to create a link, shutdown your computer, and the link would not be there the next time you ran SendLink.
  • Starting with this release of SendLink, the Windows shutdown condition is treated as a checkpoint and is used to flush any unsaved data to disk before the shutdown completes.

New in SendLink 1.9 (Dec 8, 2009)

  • SlideShows:
  • We introduce slideshows with this version of SendLink.
  • A slideshow allows you to send the contents of a folder as a navigable sequence of images that may be viewed by a remote user directly in their Web browser. Viewed images can easily be downloaded as files from the slideshow with a single click. If a slideshow folder has subfolders, the remote user can navigate to those subfolders and view each as its own separate slideshow.
  • There are two distinct sections to a slideshow page: the image viewer and the folder navigator. Each of these sections is optional. If both are present, the image viewer appears on top of the folder navigator.
  • Image Viewer:
  • The image viewer allows you to view individual images and sequence to other images.
  • The image viewer has an area at the top that contains the viewable image. If the current file is not interpretable as a viewable image by the remote user's browser, the name of the file appears in this area instead of an image. This behavior allows you to include non-image files mixed with the image files. It also allows you to include image files that might require special browser plug-ins in order to be viewed. Those users who have the plug-in will see the image, while those who don't will simply see the file name.
  • Beneath the image area is a control area that contains up to four buttons, two on each side. The left-side buttons control sequencing to the first image (). If the image viewer is showing the last file in a folder, the right-side buttons are not present. If there is only one image in a folder, no buttons are present. If there are no files at all in a folder, the image viewer itself is not present on the slideshow page.
  • Between the left-side and right-side buttons described above is an area where the name of the current file appears. This is a clickable file link. If the remote user wants to download the image they are viewing, they can simply click on this file link in order to initiate a download.
  • Folder Navigator:
  • The folder navigator offers a convenient means for the remote user to navigate the hierarchy, if any, of the folder they are viewing.
  • The folder navigator contains a list of the folders accessible from the current folder. You may navigate to any one of the listed subfolders by simply clicking on its name in the list. If you have navigated to a subfolder, clicking on the ".." folder will bring you up one level in the folder hierarchy.
  • If a folder link contains no subfolders, the folder navigator will not appear on the slideshow page.
  • Image Sequence:
  • The order of the images in the viewing sequence of a slideshow is determined by the alphabetical order of their names in the slideshow folder. This is the same order that the files are in when viewed in the Windows Explorer Details view, with ascending sorting order on the Name column.
  • A wrinkle in the above is that the order of indirect image files is based on the name of the target file, as if it and not the shortcut were in the slideshow folder.
  • Hidden files are not part of the image sequence of a slideshow. They are skipped over as if they weren't there. If you wish to eliminate a file from a slideshow without deleting the file, you can simply mark it as being hidden using Windows Explorer.
  • Many digital cameras generate image files with names that are either in year-month-day format or are zero-padded sequential numbers. Either of those generally results in images that are presented in the order in which they were taken.
  • SlideShow vs Index:
  • A slideshow is an alternative to the index view of a folder's contents. Any folder link may be set to generate either an index or a slideshow. Which you choose for a given folder will depend on a variety of factors. Naturally, a slideshow folder should contain mostly image files. The odd non-image file will simply show its name in the image area. But you may wish to send even an image laden folder as an index if you expect remote users will mostly want to download the images rather than view them.
  • By default, SendLink automatically designates any folder that is part of your My Pictures folder hierarchy to be sent as a slideshow; all other folders are marked to be sent as indexes. But this setting can easily be changed via the new Main Window / Link List / Right-Click Menu / Send As Menu, which is available when a single folder link is selected in the Link List. Simply select either the Index or SlideShow item from the Send As Menu for any folder link to change the type of Web page generated for the link.
  • You may easily distinguish a folder link that will generate an index from one that will generate a slideshow in the Link List by the different icons used for each. The index-generating folder links continue with the same folder icon as before. Slideshow-generating folder links have a new icon associated with them. Since these are both essentially variations on a folder link, both are given the default name Folder Link when created.
  • A slideshow, like a folder index, is a dynamic Web page generated by SendLink at the time a folder link is clicked on by a remote user. Accordingly, remote users see whatever view of the folder is selected at the moment they click on a folder link. If you change the folder type between viewings, the type of page sent to the remote user's Web browser will change.
  • Windows Compatibility:
  • Slideshows are compatible with all versions of Windows supported by SendLink. The automated slideshow folder detection, however, relies on information not generally available under Windows 98 or NT. If SendLink does not automatically mark a folder as a slideshow, you can change the folder type manually via the Send As Menu.
  • Folder Indexes:
  • We made a minor aesthetic tweak to the formatting of folder indexes such that the Type and Size columns will now tend to remain a fixed width more so than before.

New in SendLink 1.8 (Dec 8, 2009)

  • Firewall Manager:
  • This release of SendLink features a new Firewall Manager, which integrates SendLink with the Windows Firewall.
  • Firewall Manager simplifies the configuration of SendLink by automating the port mapping process that allows inbound connections from remote users to pass through Windows Firewall on their way to the SendLink File Server. Another benefit of Firewall Manager is enhanced security because port mappings managed by Firewall Manager are enabled only while the SendLink File Server is running.
  • The operation of Firewall Manager is tied to the starting and stopping of the SendLink File Server.
  • File Server Start:
  • During the startup of the SendLink File Server, Firewall Manager scans your network adapters looking for whether any of them has firewall protection enabled. If firewall protection is enabled on a particular adapter, Firewall Manager then enters a create/modify/enable port mapping phase for that adapter.
  • Firewall Manager first searches a firewall-enabled adapter for a port mapping that is configured for TCP and the port number used by the SendLink File Server, which is specified in the Settings Window / Server Tab / Port Field. If one is not found, a new one is created. If a port mapping is found, Firewall Manager inspects its properties to make sure that it configured properly. If it is not configured properly, you will be asked to allow Firewall Manager to modify it. If you answer No, the SendLink File Server may not operate correctly.
  • SendLink next looks for whether the port mapping is enabled. If it is not enabled, Firewall Manager enables it.
  • At this point, Windows may intervene and ask for your permssion to allow SendLink to modify the status of the port mapping. In order to allow Firewall Manager to manage Windows Firewall automatically, you must answer Yes. If you answer No, Firewall Manager will not be able to manage Windows Firewall and the SendLink File Server may not operate correctly. Your reply to this prompt has effect for the entire run of SendLink. Thus, in order to change a No answer, you will have to exit SendLink and re-run it in order to cause Windows to prompt you for permission again.
  • File Server Stop:
  • When you stop the SendLink File Server, Firewall Manager reverses the actions that it took during the startup process. It scans your network adapters for port mappings that it has either created or enabled, entering a disable/delete phase when one is found.
  • If Firewall Manager enabled a port mapping, it disables it. If it created a port mapping, it deletes it. Just as important is what it doesn't do. If Firewall Manager didn't enable a port mapping, it doesn't disable it. If it didn't create a port mapping, it doesn't delete it. Note that Firewall Manager does not undo modifications you have allowed to existing port mappings. This is because the changes were needed to make the existing port mappings useful and undoing these changes would only cause you to be prompted over and over.
  • This behavior accomplishes two goals: First, it makes Firewall Manager compatible with existing Windows Firewall configurations by respecting existing settings whenever possible. Second, it ensures that SendLink continues to be a good citizen on your computer by not changing things that you have already configured without good reason (and your permission), and by not leaving any messes behind itself.
  • Status Messages:
  • Firewall Manager generates a bevy of status messages that report on every aspect of its activity. We understand the potential concerns that people might have with software changing something as sensitive as their firewall settings, and so we have gone out of our way to report every facet of what Firewall Manager is doing or not doing.
  • Internet Connection Firewall:
  • Note that Windows Firewall is sometimes referred to as Internet Connection Firewall. For consistency, we will try our best to uniformly refer to the firewall software from Microsoft that comes with Windows as Windows Firewall.
  • Windows Firewall Availability:
  • SendLink's Firewall Manager is designed to work with Windows Firewall, first introduced with Windows XP. The changes made to Windows Firewall in Windows XP/SP2 did not affect SendLink's compatibility with Windows Firewall and so, at this point, we can say that Firewall Manager should be compatible with all versions of Windows Firewall running under Windows XP.
  • Versions of Windows prior to XP do not come with Windows Firewall and so SendLink's Firewall Manager will not normally have anything to manage. But to allow for the possibility of Microsoft making Windows Firewall available on older versions of Windows, we have implemented what might be called an agnostic view of Windows Firewall availability that is independent of the version of Windows you are running — if it's there we manage it; if it's not, we don't.
  • Each time SendLink starts up, it looks for Windows Firewall. If it is not found, you will see a status message reporting the attempt to locate Windows Firewall, followed by another status message that reports Windows Firewall is not available. Firewall Manager will not attempt to detect it again during that run of SendLink. To get SendLink to try and detect Windows Firewall again, you have to exit SendLink completely and re-run it. This would be an issue if, for instance, you were to install Windows Firewall while SendLink is running. If you were to do that, SendLink would not detect the newly installed Windows Firewall until the next time it is executed.
  • Third-Party Firewalls:
  • We have run into numerous support situations where users are running more than one firewall on their computer. Sometimes, this comes as a complete surprise. Usually, there is no surprise that they are running a third-party firewall since they have typically installed it themselves. The surprise has turned out to be that Windows has its own firewall software, quietly doing its thing as well. By managing this native firewall software, Sendlink's Firewall Manager should help simplify configuration by managing the redundant protection mechanisms for you.
  • Firewall Manager is not overtly designed to manage third-party firewalls. If you are using one, you will still most likely have to configure that firewall for use with SendLink. We say most likely because there is a chance that some firewall vendors have piggybacked their products off the same programming interfaces used by Windows Firewall. Any vendor whose product has done this will be managed automatically by Firewall Manager the same as Windows Firewall. Unfortunately, we have no information at this time about any vendors who have done this. If we hear of any, we will make mention of it.
  • What Firewall Manager Doesn't Do:
  • SendLink's Firewall Manager controls firewall settings on the SendLink host, allowing inbound TCP connections from remote users that are already making it to the SendLink host to pass through Windows Firewall to the SendLink File Server. What it is not doing is forwarding inbound TCP connections from your router to the SendLink host. If you are using a router, you must still configure port forwarding on the router to redirect inbound TCP connections to the SendLink host.
  • Main Window / Server Menu / AutoConfiguration Command:
  • At the completion of the automatic configuration process, if SendLink has deterimined that you are communicating over the Internet through a router, it prompts you accordingly so that you can complete the configuration process by setting up a port forwarding for SendLink at your router. In this release of SendLink, the text of this message has been enhanced to include both the local IP address and port number that you must specify for the port forwarding.
  • Settings Window / Server Tab:
  • Two relatively minor changes have been made to the Server Tab in this release of SendLink.
  • Port Number Range:
  • The range of port numbers allowed for the Port Field has been changed such that port number 0 is no longer allowed. The result of this change is that the range of valid port numbers is now 1 to 65535, inclusive.
  • This change has been made because Windows Firewall does not support port 0. Because no working SendLink configuration using port 0 and Windows Firewall can exist, no users should be affected by this change. If you are currently using port 0 and wish to enable Windows Firewall, you will have to change your port number.
  • Explanatory Text:
  • We have revamped the explanatory text that gets displayed on the Server Tab as you change the input focus from field to field. It is difficult to do each field justice in the allotted space, but we hope that you find the new explanations more helpful. As always, our website remains the definitive source for detailed information regarding configuring and using SendLink.