Rebuilding WebCipher - Rethinking its structure
Well, WebCipher 2010’s development is coming along swimmingly; it’s been quite a long process so far, but what you can look forward to is a piece of software that is not only more stable, but more useful and powerful than ever before.
Out with the old, in with the new
One of the issues I have been forced to consider with this rebuild is the idea of taking out features that are simply cluttering up the program. WebCipher should be clean and streamlined to allow you to access what you want as easily as possible.
When I first set out to develop WebCipher (under it’s original name, CSSE), the idea of Common Elements (now snippets) was introduced, allowing you to insert small pieces of code at the double-click of a mouse or the click of a button (whichever you preferred). Being released to much fan-fare, this feature has become far more integrated into the WebCipher core since its initial inception. Therefore, I made the decision that it was time to reflect on how useful this feature has become.
Notice this menu in WebCipher 2009?
WebCipher 2009 HTML Headings and Definitions Menu
Well, this menu has been completely removed from WebCipher 2010 and is instead now part of the Snippets Panel, as seen on the right.
WebCipher 2010 Snippets Panel
By relegating these menu items to the Snippets Panel, the end user can more easily customise what shows up there, and remove anything they don’t want, allowing it to more clearly reflect their requirements.
(Oh, you may have noticed that Snippets now have folders, allowing you to categorise your Snippets and make them easier to find. Just another feature to look forward to 
)
Would you like Hex or RGB with that?
Another feature that I personally feel some will benefit from is the addition of a drop-down menu to the Colour icon on the main toolbar. This drop-down menu allows you to output your chosen colour as a hex or RGB value. Cool, eh?
Worth a mention
Also worth a mention, since this is the first development update I’ve posted, is the new FTP component in use by WebCipher 2010. Almost all of WebCipher’s FTP operations are performed asynchronously, meaning that you can perform other operations while the FTP panel is doin’ it’s thing. 
Stay tuned
There are plenty more updates to come regarding WebCipher 2010’s development - so why not subscribe to the RSS feed below to stay in the loop?
Happy coding!
Steven