BattleScribe 1.13.04 Released!

This is now available for Android and Desktop. As usual, the iOS version will be forthcoming, depending on how long it takes Apple to approve it (there's also a couple of extra bits I want to clear up for iOS, so I haven't submitted it quite yet). I've also submitted to Amazon, so it should be available for Kindle once approved... Hopefully*.

This version has a couple of minor new features and some bug fixes. The main stuff is some more new features and upgrades for data file authors and hosts.

All Versions

• Relevant book and page references included when viewing/printing a roster (as long as the data files include this information).
• Data file author name, contact details and website for your current files can be seen in the About box (as long as the data files include this information)..
• Using a link to a ".bsr" repository file as a repository URL will be handled correctly - the data is imported from the file and any URLs it includes will be added to your list.
• Fixed bug where catalogues containing links that had modifiers on would loose those modifiers when a roster was created with the catalogue.
• Fixed crash when creating a roster from a catalogue that contained links with modifiers/conditions that pointed to shared items.
• Fixed bug where the global min/max for shared entry groups wasn't being checked.

Android

• Clicking a link to a repository will allow you to open it in BattleScribe and set it up automatically for you (as long as it's a repository that's created with v1.13.04).
• Added a "What's New" popup to keep you up to date with changes/new features - shown each time BattleScribe updates.
• Added occasional (monthly) prompt to remind you to check for new data files.

For Data File Authors & Hosts

• Data Indexer now lets you specify specific files from the source folder to include in your repository. The rest of them are ignored.
• New option to "cleanse" rules - this will remove rule descriptions from the resulting repository files (leaving the original source file intact of course!). This is useful to make the files "safer" for hosting publicly on the Internet - some hosts prefer you didn't include this information in files.
• You can optionally include your name, contact details and a website in your data files. This is so you can appropriately take credited for your hard work, and gives users a means of contacting you if they want to report a bug for example. This is shown in the About box.
• Rules, profiles and entries in catalogue files can now have a "book" and a "page", which is outputted when viewing the roster. This provides an "official" means to include this information, and prevents it being cleared out if you're "cleansing" rule descriptions when creating your repository.
• When creating a repository, a new "index.bsi" file is created. This is just the normal "index.xml" file, but zipped and with a ".bsi" extension. This lets mobile users import your repository just by clicking a link to this file (rather than messing about with copy/paste). You can start linking users to "index.bsi" instead of "index.xml" if you want - just make sure your users know they must have v1.13.04 to make use of it.
• The old-style "index.xml" is still created when creating a repository (and should still be hosted with your repository) so existing users that already use the URL to this won't have anything break.
• More reliable repository creation - hopefully this should prevent an occasional case where files created on non-English language computers couldn't be loaded on some systems.

* A note for Kindle users: Amazon approve apps for their general Android store first, and then it goes through another round of approval for Kindle. Now, they do inform me when/if the first round of approval is successful and I can see it appear in their store. However, with the second round of approvals there is no feedback whatsoever - not even to say if it's passed or failed. I have no idea when/if it gets approved for Kindle and no way of looking. Which, I know, is ridiculous. If someone could let me know if v1.13.04 shows up at some point - or can even tell me which version is there right now - I'd be grateful.

BattleScribe 1.13.03 Available On iOS

Apple have now approved v1.13.03 and it's now in the App Store - get those update-fingers clicking ;)

This update contains additional data sharing options, and it's easier to set up repositories.

• You can now include all your data files and repository URLs when sharing BattleScribe by email - give it a go to help your friends get going with BattleScribe. 
• Clicking a repository file sent to you by email will allow you to open it in BattleScribe, which will import all data and repository URLs for you automatically.
• Clicking a link to a repository file on a website also give you the option to let BattleScribe automatically import it.

BattleScribe 1.13.03b Released!

Here we are with another update - with some nice new features. It's currently available for desktop and Android devices, but will soon be available for iPhone too, once it's approved. I'll post here again when it becomes available.

The main additions are around sharing and importing data files. This has always been the biggest barrier to entry with BattleScribe - it's a pain to dig around the internet for data files, and can be confusing for new users to get set up. The idea is to make things a bit more "viral" or "peer to peer", where users who are already set up can send all their files and repository URLs to others in one go. A new user can import the file sent to them and voila! Everything is configured and they're good to go.

What this means is that if you want to help a friend get set up with BattleScribe, you can hit the Share BattleScribe button and send them an email that includes a link to download the app and a file that they just have to click to get the whole thing set up - much easier!

To this end, I've basically added a new file format which is an entire repository of data files all bundled together into a single file (with the ".bsr" extension, for the techies among you) which can be sent around by email for example.

The other major improvement is for those who create and maintain data repositories - finally Data Indexer has had a major overhaul and is much better than it was.


Android

• When clicking Share BattleScribe, you are given the option to include your data files. Your files and repository URLs are bundled into a "repository file" and attached to your email (or uploaded to DropBox or wherever else you decide to send it).
• Clicking a repository file on an email (or in another app, such as clicking a link to one in the browser or in DropBox) will fire up BattleScribe and automatically import all the data contained in it including any repository URLs.
• Clicking any other data files from a browser, file manager or other app will send it to be opened in BattleScribe, which will import it for you. 
• Some apps (such as your browser) will try to open the file themselves and just show you it's contents. In this case, you can hit Share and send it to BattleScribe from there. This also works for an online repository's "index.xml" file.
• You can now (finally) install BattleScribe on an SD card.
• Improvements to the speed and reliability of saving - it should no longer lag when switching between screens.
• Fixed a bug where if you had a corrupted/broken roster file, you wouldn't be able to open any other rosters. Broken rosters are now ignored.

Desktop

• You can import BattleScribe data from a repository (.bsr) file from the Manage Data dialog.
• Much (much!) improved Data Indexer, which you can now access from the Manage Data dialog (see separate change list below) via the Share Data button.
• Manage Data can now be accessed from the menu in Game System Editor and Catalogue Editor.
• Editors will now prompt you to update your repository if you have changed your files. This is really important! If you don't re-create your repository when you change files, none of your users will get your lovely new files!
• Editors now flag many more data file errors for you to fix - making sure you don't end up with broken files...
• Links to shared entries can now have a category, so a single shared entry representing a unit can be used in multiple categories.

Data Indexer

• More options so you can specify where the data for the index comes from. You can choose to use all your current data, or specify a specific folder manually.
• More options to specify where the repository gets created. You can create it "in place" (ie the same location it's getting the data files from), specify a specific folder manually, or choose to output to a single .bsr repository file (for emailing or whatever).
• Data Indexer now remembers all your chosen settings - repository name, input/output options and paths to data file source and destination folders/files.
• All data files get updated to the latest format and individually zipped correctly when creating a repository.
• Command line usage added. You can run "java -jar DataIndexer.jar [repository name] [input directory] [output directory]" to create a repository from the command line.

Interview On The Overlords Podcast

Listen ma! I'm on the radio!

Inquisitor Steve from The Overlords podcast was kind enough to drop me a line a little while ago and arrange an interview to chat about BattleScribe. I had a lot of fun talking a bit about my history with 40k, before moving on to discuss how BattleScribe came about and how it's developed since then.

If you're interested in listening to me babble incoherently about some of the reasons behind BattleScribe, where it's at now and a where it's going in the future, I recommend giving it a listen! In fact, if you're not already following The Overlords, what's wrong with you? These guys are great fun to listen to - they make my drive home from work something to look forward to :)

Thanks for having me on guys!

BattleScribe 1.13.02b Available For iOS

Apple have finally approved version 1.13.02b and it's now available in the App Store! Sorry it's taken so long - once I've submitted to iTunes, it's out of my hands until they get around to reviewing it (usually a week or so...).

This version contains a major bug fix where in some cases nothing would show up for you to select for your list (notably a large selection of Warhammer Fantasy catalogues). This was because for some catalogue files the process of upgrading them to the 1.13.xx file format would eat the contents of the file and break it. Very nasty.

Important: 
If you have experienced this bug, and you were unable to see anything to choose for your army you will need to delete your data files and re-download them from your repository. Go to "Manage Data", click the menu and choose "Delete all data". Once this is done, click "Update Data" again to get your files back. Your new files will be properly updated to the 1.13.xx format and all should be well.

Sorry I let this one get through. File format updates are one of the biggest changes BattleScribe can go through, and it can be a bit of a rocky road. I'd tested many data files to make sure the process worked, but evidently I missed this particular case. My apologies if it's caused you any issues.

Full Change List:

• Fixed bug where some old data files were not being properly upgraded
• Prevented categories showing up if they contain nothing to select
• Fixed crash when using multiple catalogues (ie allies) in some cases
• Fixed crash when using catalogues with deeply nested shared items
• Fixed bug where data files with accented characters (ó, ñ etc) would break

If you find anything else that's amiss, please don't hesitate to let me know. You can leave a comment on this post or in the forums, or catch me on Google+, Twitter or Facebook. I'm also available via email: feedback [at] battlescribe [dot] net.

If this has resolved your problem, or you're just a fan of BattleScribe on iOS, please do leave a review on iTunes!

BattleScribe 1.13.02 Released

Update: One more bug fixed today:

• Fixed crash when using catalogues with deeply nested shared items

This is available for Android and desktops, and has been resubmitted to Apple (I've requested an expedited review so hopefully it won't take as long as usual to become available).

---

Just a small update today with a couple of bug fixes:

• Fixed a problem where some older data files weren't being properly upgraded to the 1.13.00 format. This is causing a problem particularly on iOS where in some cases you can't see anything to select when creating Warhammer Fantasy lists (nasty...)
• Prevented categories that don't contain any entries from being displayed (mobile versions only)
• Fixed bug where data files with accented characters (ó, ñ etc) would break
• Fixed a crash when using multiple catalogues (e.g. when making a list with allies)

Note: If you are having problems with your data files, I recommend deleting them and re-downloading from your repository. This will mean any files get re-updated to the the 1.13.00 format, fixing the problem mentioned in the second bullet point above.

This is now available on Android and desktops and is currently going through approval for iOS. I'll let you know when it becomes available in iTunes.

BattleScribe 1.13.00b Released - With Allies Support!

Update: Apple finally approved the free version for iOS, so that's now available for you iDevice people out there :)

---

Well the big day has finally arrived - after three months or so hard labour, BattleScribe 1.13.00b is finally here! Adding support for allies has been a big job, requiring changes to how BattleScribe fundamentally works, hence the long development time. On top of that, I've added a much demanded feature from data file authors: shared items. This will make it much easier for the authors to create quality data files, thus benefiting the entire community.

The two highest voted items on UserVoice in one fell swoop :)

This update affects all versions: Desktop, Android and iOS. If you like it, I'd really appreciate a review on the iTunes / Google Play app stores!

Note 1: This update involves a major file format upgrade. This means that the first time you load up BattleScribe it may take quite a while for your existing files to be updated, depending on how much data you have. Please be patient! It only needs to do this once.

Note 2: BattleScribe has become more strict about data file formats - some old files that used to be OK may no longer be valid. If you create files or host repositories I strongly suggest opening all of your files with the new version's editors and fixing any errors that are flagged. Once you're happy recreate your repository with data indexer to make sure it's all in order. This will really help prevent users of your repository from having problems.

Note 3: If you experience strange behaviour, it could be because of data problems mentioned in note 2 above. The first thing to try would be to delete all your data files (on mobile, the menu in the Manage Data screen allows you to do this) and re-download them from your repositories.

Here's the full list of changes:

All Versions

• Added allies support (a roster can be created with multiple catalogue / game type combinations)
• Added ability to create "shared" entries, entry groups, rules and profiles in catalogues, and then reference / link to them throughout the catalogue without repeating yourself. This should make life a lot easier for data file authors
• Improved modifiers / conditions, supporting the shared items

iOS (iPhone / iPod / iPad)

• Added shiny new retina graphics and icons
• Long-clicking selections now allows you to duplicate, remove or individually view the selection
• Added extra options in the Manage Data screen to allow you to share your repository URLs or delete all data files (in case of problems)
• Rules/profiles now properly shown when viewing the roster
• Fixed crash when clicking on the row of a "single selection" (rather than the button on the right)
• Fixed "invalid attribute namespace..." crash when importing from repositories
• Fixed bug where some catalogue conditions wouldn't be properly evaluated
• Other small UI improvements and bug fixes

Android

• Added new high-resolution (and some low-resolution) icons and graphics to support different screen densities
• Added extra options in the Manage Data screen to allow you to share your repository URLs or delete all data files (in case of problems)
• Other UI improvements and bug fixes

Desktop

• Minor UI improvements - just tidied things up a bit
• Improvements to the data file editors so they detect and flag more possible data file errors

Important News For Data File Authors / Hosts

Just a heads up for those of you out there who create or host data files.

I've now submitted BattleScribe 1.13.00b to Apple. Once it's approved, I'll be wrapping up the releases for Android and the desktop, and releasing the whole lot together - hopefully in about a week or so.

I've come across a problem with some of the data files out there (eg Space Marines and Necrons from one of the most popular data file hosts), where some entries in a catalogue have duplicate unique ids. The new version is stricter about how these are used, and this kind of setup will no longer work.

To prevent crashes, Roster Editor will remove all entries with duplicate ids from the catalogue on load. This means the user will not be able to select these items for their rosters. In addition, if the user opens an existing roster that uses any of these entries, the relevant selections will be removed from their roster.

If you open the catalogue in Catalogue Editor however, the offending entries will be left in place and flagged as an error so you can find them and fix them. I have released a preview version of 1.13.00b on the forum which I strongly recommend data file authors download and use to check all their data files to make sure they don't have this problem.

Remember that if you open a pre-1.13.00b file it will be converted to the new format which is not compatible with older versions of BattleScribe. It's probably best to make a copy of all your data files before checking them, thus keeping your 1.12.00b format files intact. You can then be ready with a nice shiny set of 1.13.00b data files ready for when it's released.

If you have any problems or questions, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or email (jon [dot] taylor [at] battlescribe [dot] net).

New Facebook Page

I'm not much of a Facebook user personally, but I hear it's quite a popular site ;)

So for those of you who are primarily Facebookers, I've finally bitten the bullet and created a page for BattleScribe.

I'll be posting development progress updates, upcoming features and soliciting feedback on ideas in a generally more detailed and regular way than on the news blog. It's also another avenue for you the user to get in contact to ask questions, offer suggestions etc.

I will still be using Google+ for my primary social media page, with posts there being re-posted to the Facebook page (in full where possible) and Twitter (as a link). I'll keep an eye on the Facebook page and obviously will be participating in any discussion over there.

So, if you're a fan of BattleScribe and want to stay connected, Facebook is now another option for you alongside Google+ and Twitter - whichever is your personal preference :)

Now get clicking on those Like buttons people!

Super Celebratory September Sale!

It's been a good month :-)

The free iOS version was finally released and the Android version now has over 10,000 users. Awesome milestones!

I can't thank you all enough for your support - BattleScribe wouldn't be what it is without you!

But I can't thank you properly with just words. So for the month of September, BattleScribe Mobile Pro will be £0.69 ($0.99 / €0.99), or Android iOS and Kindle Fire.

Enjoy :-)

Free Version of BattleScribe Mobile Now Available for iOS!

Rejoice! The free version of BattleScribe mobile for iPhone/iPad/iPod has been approved and is now available in the iTunes Appstore!

Enjoy :)

BattleScribe For iPhone, iPod and iPad Released!

Finally it's here! BattleScribe Mobile Pro has been approved and is now available in the iTunes Appstore!

Unfortunately the free version was rejected because of the way it linked to the pro version in the store... I'm disappointed I can't offer a free version right away, but there you have it. I'll work on making the changes I need to, and then resubmit it. Keep an eye on here/Twitter/Google+ and I'll announce when it becomes available if you'd prefer to wait.

For you iPad users, I haven't yet made a proper tablet UI. It's something I want to do, but I felt it was important to get something released sooner rather than later. Actually I need to do a UI for Android tablets too, and I'll need to have a good think about how to make good use of the larger screen.

Anyway, happy days. I know there's a lot of people who've been waiting for this for ages, so I'm glad it's finally come together :)

New Version for Desktop and Android, Submitted to Apple Appstore

Quite a bit of news today: There are new releases for the desktop and Android versions, and I've submitted BattleScribe Mobile to the Apple App Store for iPods and iPhones!

Desktop
First up, there's a new release of BattleScribe for the desktop (version 1.12.05b). This just contains a whole pile of little tweaks, fixes and other minor gubbinz that were done as I've worked on the Android and iOS versions over the last few months. Some of the bigger fixes are listed in the release notes below, but there are plenty more little bits and pieces.

BattleScribe 1.12.05b

• Fixed some errors incorrectly appearing for entry groups in some cases.
• Default entry group child is now checked when editing catalogues to make sure the child selected actually exists in the catalogue...
• Broken default entry group children now cleaned when the file is loaded. This prevents an issue where an incorrect entry group child would be added in some cases (eg space wolf rune priest armour).
• Default entry group child now works for sub entry groups (ie entry groups within entry groups).
• Fixed incorrect catalogue xml namespace.
• Fixed "no category" entries being displayed twice in view/print roster.
• Plenty of other little fixes to minor problems and crashes.

Android

I've also released a new version for Android on the Google Play store and Amazon App Store. This just has a couple of little bits (just so the desktop and mobile versions are at the same level). It's still awaiting approval for the Amazon store, but should be available in the next few days. It should also become available for Kindle Fire users soon, but unhelpfully Amazon don't actually tell you when this happens, so you'll have to tell me when it does ;)

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.13b

• URLs entered on the Manage Data screen are now checked for validity
• Better handling of intents, so BattleScribe should recognize data files as importable if they are sent to your phone, opened from the SD card etc.

iOS

Yes, you read that right - BattleScribe is finally coming to iPods and iPhones! Rejoice! I have finished the app and submitted it to the app store, though it's currently "Waiting for Approval", so it's not quite available yet. I'm not sure how long the approval process takes (it's already been a few days) but I will announce here when it's done. Hopefully it won't be long!

Here's some screenshots:

BattleScribe Mobile Available on Amazon App Store

They took their time, but Amazon have finally approved BattleScribe Mobile and it's gone live in their app store. That means all you Kindle Fire owners out there can finally get hold of it in the same way as any other app - no more sideloading.

Here's the links to the store pages:

• BattleScribe Mobile (free, ad supported)
• BattleScribe Mobile Pro (£1.99, no adds, additional dice statistics tool)

I'll add these links to the BattleScribe website when I get a chance.

Note: Due to the time it takes for Amazon to approve the app, it's actually a version behind (v1.12.11). I've submitted the latest version, which has to be approved yet again, so it might be a couple of days before the update becomes available.

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.12 Released!

[Update:] Just fixed an additional crash when adding/removing selections using some catalogues. There's always one isn't there?

I'm calling this one "The Crashbuster."

This release contains fixes for a bunch of force closes, some of which have plagued BattleScribe since before the makeover. There's also a few user interface tweeks and nudges, and I've changed the way rosters are saved (it's now automatic).

I've made the Android APK file (for the free version) available to download straight off the site for those of you who prefer to sideload their apps. In addition, the pro version is in the Amazon App Store for 99p. I've resubmitted the updated pro and free versions and they should become available once Amazon approves them. Once the new pro version appears, it will return to being £1.99.

A while back after BattleScribe Mobile got it's makeover I said "if you tried BattleScribe on your Android before and found it too slow, buggy or crashy, now's the time to give it another go." Well, this time I mean it ;)

Full Change List

• Your roster is saved automatically, so you don't have to keep clicking save. You can still duplicate your roster.
• Moved the create button on the create new roster screen up to the top bar.
• Moved the update from repository button on the manage data screen to the top bar.
• Fixed layout of collective entry groups.
• Other minor UI tweeks.
• Fixed crash when returning to BattleScribe after leaving the app for a while. You are given the option to reload the roster you were previously working on.
• Fixed crash when deleting rosters.
• Fixed crash when adding/removing certain selections from collective entry groups.
• Fixed problem where loading dialogs would never go away, or would crash the app.
• Fixed other crashes that occasionally occurred in relation to collective entry groups.

Right, now to get on with finishing that pesky iOS version...

New Data File Forum

The biggest problem BattleScribe users face is getting hold of data files. I'm sure many of you have had problems finding the files you need to get up and running, and I'd bet money that many more gave up using BattleScribe because they couldn't find any files to get started in the first place.

The data repository system that was added a while back has helped a lot - there's no more copy/pasting of files and BattleScribe can now automatically update your files when new ones are available. Which is pretty sweet (even if I do say so myself).

Thing is, this doesn't really solve the problem of finding a repository in the first place. To that end (as suggested by Scarletsquig), I've added a data files forum so you can let people know about the files you've created and the repositories you're hosting. If you've spent time and effort creating an awesome set of files, it'd be great if you felt like sharing them with the rest of the community!

Feel free to use the forum to:

• Post links to your repository or data files
• Take comments and suggestions
• Let people report bugs or problems with your files
• Accept new or updated data files from the community
• Get together with other data file makers to pool resources
• Whatever else that's data file related

There is of course The One Rule: No Games Workshop. Sorry about that, but I've already got myself into trouble with that one...

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.10b Released!

So, it turns out that the fix in the last version that prevented BattleScribe from crashing when returning to the app after doing something else, had... side effects. In some cases, particularly when using a certain Grey Knights catalogue, you would get a crash when trying to edit a unit you'd added to your roster. It was a weird error and there wasn't much information about it out there on the 'net. After some sleuthing however, I uncovered the problem. Settle down while I tell you a story...

Android apps need to store the data that you're currently working on when you leave the app, so when you come back the data can be restored and you can continue from where you left off. The original crash when returning to the app was caused because BattleScribe wasn't saving any data and therefore there wasn't anything to restore when you came back, resulting in a force close. So to fix this issue, I saved the roster, catalogue and game system data when you left the app, and restored it when you returned. Fair enough you might say.

The problem is, the BattleScribe data files can be rather large and complex (for a phone to handle anyway). The Grey Knights catalogue in question is one of the best put together and most complete catalogues out there. It's also the biggest I know of. It turns out that the Grey Knight data was in fact too big! So big in fact that the app would run out of space and crash when trying to save the data for later!

So unfortunately the solution to this (for the time being at least) is to remove this fix and no longer save data when you leave the app. It will go back to crashing if you return to it after some time away. I do have some ideas on how to fix this for good, but it will take some time and I wanted to fix this as quickly as I could. For now at least I think it is better to get people going again and make sure that all those Grey Knights players out there can create lists.

I hope this post isn't too techie, and explains a bit why this fix had to be removed. As the Tau would say, it's for the Greater Good.

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.09b Released!

It's been a little bit of a rocky start for the rebuilt Android version of BattleScribe. I guess it's to be expected when you start from a clean slate, but I don't like to have worked to make a better user experience, only to inflict everyone with all new bugs. With this latest update, however, I think we're back on track.

Over the last week (in between a nasty cold), I think I've resolved pretty much all the major issues people were having. Particularly, there were a couple of force closes that needed fixing, and performance issues as it over-aggressively checked file formats. I've also managed to squeeze in a couple of new features and tweaks, and (finally) fixed a force close that occurred when returning to the app after doing something else.

So, if you tried BattleScribe on your Android before and found it too slow, buggy or crashy, now's the time to give it another go - it's free after all ;) On top of that, as a bit of an apology for the problems over the last week, I'm going to leave BattleScribe Mobile Pro at 99p for another week.

P.S. I'm working on getting it into the Amazon app store at the moment for the Kindle people out there. Unfortunately their approval process is a little... slow.

1.12.08b:

• Now checks data files are the correct format on startup, and caches the results. This means much faster loading when creating/opening a roster.
• When using the +/- buttons to add entries, you can now enter a number directly into the box
• Added pan/zoom on the view roster screen
• Correct error messages should now be shown
• Fixed force close when clicking error messages

1.12.09b:

• Fixed force close when returning to the app after you have exited to use another app

BattleScribe Mobile 1.12.07b Released! [Updated]

[Update:] After a some feedback it turns out there was a real facepalm of a bug in the last release that prevented adding/removing via the +/- dialog in some cases. Also there was a little outcry over removing landscape orientation on some of the screens. I've just released a new update that should fix both of these issues. Enjoy :)

---

After nearly three weeks, I've finished completely rebuilding the Android version of BattleScribe from the ground up. I think it really needed it - the original version wasn't very nice to look at and in some places was pretty poorly put together (it was my first Android app, I was learning!).

This new version is much easier on the eye, with a cleaner interface - hopefully it's easier to figure out what's going on. There are also some new features to help you import data files and share your rosters with others. Other than that, the main screen for editing your roster works pretty much the same as before. I've got some ideas on how to improve this page in the future though, so keep an eye out.

To celebrate, I will be having a sale: BattleScribe Mobile Pro will be just 99p for a week, so get it while it's hot!

I will be adding BattleScribe Mobile to the Amazon app store and others over the coming days if you prefer not to use the Google Market.

Here's some screenshots of the new look (full change list below):

Change List:

• Completely new "black on white" user interface, making it much cleaner and more readable.
• New "getting started" screen to help you find and set up data repositories.
• Long-click on individual selections to view or duplicate them.
• BattleScribe now lets you open any roster file it finds on your SD card (not just ones in the BattleScribe folder).
• BattleScribe will now open and import rosters/data files downloaded from websites or stored on your SD card.
• New sharing options to send your roster file via email or bluetooth.
• New sharing options to send your roster as text/HTML/BBCode/Markdown via email, social networks or to other apps.
• (Hopefully) many minor bugs no longer exist.
• (Probably) some new minor bugs have been introduced - please let me know if you have any problems!
• Updated help documentation on the website.
• Shiny new logo!

BattleScribe 1.12.04b Released!

So here we have the first new release in quite a while. Just a few bits and pieces in here - call it a warm up as I get back into things. There have been some changes to the internal gubbinz, which should hopefully make it even easier for me to port the code to different platforms. We'll see...

The full change list is as follows:

• Added a "getting started" dialog when you start BattleScribe but don't have any repositories. This should help new users get set up.
• BattleScribe can check for data file updates from your repositories when you start up.
• Summary popup/tooltip now shown when hovering over the controls to add/remove selections (the "customise selection" panel).
• Added a new "copy as Markdown" menu option in the View Roster dialog.
• Catalogue and Game System editors should keep better track of whether or not a file is saved.
• Fixed a bug where if you were working on a catalogue, saved it, then created a new one, you could end up saving over the previously opened one.
• Fixed a bug where using negative points values (eg for Warmachine where certain characters can give you extra points) was causing errors to be shown.
• Internal changes to the way files are saved and loaded.
• Shiny new icon!

Emerging From Hibernation, v1.12.04b Pre Release

Hi everyone,

It's been a little quiet around here lately. What originally started as a one month break in November 2011 has turned into a three month hiatus after illness and the Christmas period took their toll on my time. After than I was just plain lazy getting things rolling again ;) On the bright side I did get a bunch of painting and gaming in!

Well never fear, BattleScribe is alive and well and I'm back on the case! I've tried to reply to any emails, forum posts, UserVoice suggestions etc. that I neglected over the last couple of months. If I've missed yours, or you feel I haven't answered sufficiently, please do drop me a line via Twitter (@BattleScribe), Google+ or email (jon [dot] taylor [at] battlescribe [dot] net). You could also bump your forum thread - I should see your post on my feed.

1.12.04b Pre Release
I've spent the last couple of weeks getting back into the swing of things with some minor updates, mostly around helping new users get started. This is primarily a "getting started" dialog which helps you to find and set up repositories. This gets shown if the user has no existing data repositories. BattleScribe will now also automatically check your repositories for new and updated data files when it starts up.

There are also a few other bits and pieces in there (including possibly breaking changes to the way files are loaded and saved). The full list of changes is on the forum thread where you can download a pre-release version to play with if you're feeling brave. If you do, please let me know on the thread if you find any problems so I can get them fixed up before the final release sometime in the next week.

What's Next?
After the 1.12.04b release, I'll be going back to the Android app to do a major overhaul. As you may well be aware, this version is functional, but looks pretty... nasty. It really needs large improvements to the style of the visuals/user interface - I'll probably take a cue from the way Google's own apps look (such as Reader and Google+), with a black-on-white colour scheme.

On top of that, it really needs it's internals re-working too. I learned a lot about how Android apps are supposed to work while I was writing it (it was my first Android app), and this knowledge needs applying.

So the Android app is pretty much going to get re-written from the ground up.

After That...
There are a couple of major UserVoice suggestions around allowing entries, rules and profiles to be shared within a catalogue file. This is something that's been needed for a while and should make people's lives much easier when editing or creating catalogues. On top of that, it should make BattleScribe more flexible than ever and open up new ways of building catalogue files.

So, there's the plans for upcoming BattleScribe development and planned new features. Happy (late) new year to everyone and may all your dice roll sixes!