Category: Announcements

  • TypeMetal 1.0.4

    …is now live on the Mac App Store.

    This update makes the path bar context menu work again, fixing the regression that appeared in version 1.0.3. (Sorry for the inconvenience that caused — we’ll be more careful next time!)

    1.0.4 also fixes a bug wherein using the arrow keys inside a <pre> element would collapse whitespace, just as TypeMetal does in ordinary text. Condensing whitespace makes sense in most parts of an HTML document, but it’s not something you want in a preformatted text block, where whitespace and newlines are significant. With the fix in 1.0.4, you now can safely use the arrow keys inside a <pre> element, without disturbing the formatting of its content.

    <pre> elements are especially useful for featuring clippings of literal markup or program source code in your writing, by the way. A common construct for this is a <pre> wrapped around a <code>, where the <pre> element preserves spaces and line breaks, and the <code> element marks the content as being some kind of program source code, typically prompting appropriate styling such as use of a monospaced font.

    You can assemble a <pre><code> construct easily by inserting a <pre> element (Control+/ p r [return]), then inserting a <code> element (Control+/ c o [return]). This leaves you inside the <code> element ready to type. Note that when you’re all done typing the content of this code block, and you want to type what follows the <pre><code> block, you can simply hit the [tab] key to pop out of both the <code> and the enclosing <pre>.

    Creating this kind of construct will give you something like this in your HTML:

    <pre><code>for (id thing in collection) {
        [thing doYourThing];
    }</pre></code>

    which, with CSS styling applied, might be rendered something like this:

    for (id thing in collection) {
        [thing doYourThing];
    }

    If this is a construct you use a lot, you might want to create a snippet to make it even quicker to assemble. The snippet body would look like this:

    <pre><code>{content}</code></pre>

    With that snippet added to my HTML file’s associated snippet set, I’m able to insert a <pre><code> construct by typing Control+/ p r e c [return].

    If you ever want to paste some HTML markup for people to read as markup, note that you’ll need to use TypeMetal’s “Paste as Plain Text” command (Command+Shift+Option+V). Ordinary “Paste” (Command+V) would interpret the HTML markup, putting the described elements in your document, instead of the HTML source code description of them. By pasting “as Plain Text”, you get the exact text that’s on the pasteboard, without any interpretation of HTML element tags it might contain. (Relevant User Guide page: Paste)

    I hope you’ll enjoy this update! Stay tuned for more improvements to come!

  • TypeMetal 1.0.3

    …is ready to download from the Mac App Store!

    This update includes a number of enhancements and fixes that were suggested by users in the TypeMetal Support Forum. If you haven’t visited the Support Forum yet, head on over: It’s a great place to ask questions and file requests that can turn into improvements to the app!

    One key enhancement in this update is the ability to enable JavaScript execution. Normally, it’s best to play it safe and leave JavaScript disabled when editing your documents, since some scripts may modify a document’s structure or content — not something you’d usually want to allow during editing. But if you’re working with well-understood scripts that you’d like to have active and running during editing, you’re free to turn JavaScript on now, in TypeMetal’s General preference pane.

    We’ve also made the Source Loupe a little less transparent, to make its contents easier to read, and fixed a variety of mostly minor issues affecting attribute validation. Most notably, TypeMetal no longer bothers you about unknown (“proprietary”) attributes if you’ve checked “Allow user-defined attributes” in TypeMetal’s General preferences. TypeMetal also more reliably takes you to the site of a validation issue when you click it in the validation issue list. It even opens the attribute editor and focuses the affected attribute for editing, if the validation warning applies to an attribute.

    See the new Version History page for the complete list of changes in this and prior versions. And thanks again to our enthusiastic customers for supporting TypeMetal! Stay tuned for further updates: We have lots more great improvements in the development pipeline!

    Update 2013-07-23

    I just noticed a regression in TypeMetal 1.0.3: The path bar context menu only appears once, the first time you right-click or Control+click a path bar segment. I have a well-understood fix for this already in hand, and will expedite submitting a 1.0.4 build that remedies this issue. In the meantime, if you make frequent use of the path bar context menu, you might want to skip the 1.0.3 update, or revert TypeMetal to 1.0.2 (by restoring from a Time Machine backup or other backup). I apologize for this oversight, and will get a fix out as soon as possible.

    Update 2013-07-26

    TypeMetal 1.0.4 is out, and includes a fix for the context menu regression.

  • TypeMetal 1.0.2

    …is now up on the Mac App Store!

    This update adds robust, stall-free URL completion, that quickly and reliably tracks changes to surrounding file trees, and keeps the URL completion list from spilling off the edge of your screen. It also makes the shorthand field for newly created empty snippets editable, as it was meant to be, and we’ve fixed the snippet shorthand “Read more…” Help link and snippet disclosure button.

    Pasting or dropping HTML while in Block Mode now adds the magic block boxes and handles as it should. We’ve also fixed a rare crash on document close, and a styling glitch in the Welcome document.

    Please don’t hesitate to post questions, problem reports, and feedback to the TypeMetal Support Forum. (Create a new topic if you wish.) We love hearing how we’re doing, and are eager to do everything possible to make your TypeMetal experience a delightful one!

    We’re posting handy TypeMetal tips daily @CoherenceLabs on Twitter, and will be posting more in-depth “How To” articles here in the near future. There’s also a rare opportunity to be the first to review TypeMetal on the Mac App Store. If you’re enjoying TypeMetal, we’d greatly appreciate your helping us spread the word! — Thanks!

  • Introducing TypeMetal

    I’m delighted to announce the release of Coherence Labs’ very first app — a groundbreaking HTML editor for the Mac called TypeMetal, that’s now available on the Mac App Store.

    TypeMetal Application Icon

    At TypeMetal’s core is an innovative new editing engine, a year and a half in the making. Built atop WebKit’s heavily field-tested parsing, layout, and rendering foundation, TypeMetal’s editing functionality provides a suite of precise, fully undoable operations designed to work intuitively and give you full control down to the last element and character. Most remarkable of all, TypeMetal provides this degree of control while you work with fully rendered pages, not with HTML markup.

    Developing TypeMetal has been a labor of love — a much-enjoyed challenge of building an app that I couldn’t wait to use myself — and I’m thrilled to finally be able to release it to the world for others to use and enjoy.

    In addition to the summary and 60-second intro video on the product page, you can browse TypeMetal’s entire User Guide — the same in-app Help that comes with TypeMetal — online. One of the best parts of this project has been getting to write TypeMetal’s User Guide … using TypeMetal!

    Now that the wraps are off, I’ll be posting here more often — offering tips and bits of conceptual background that will help you get to know TypeMetal and its capabilities, and learn how to leverage them to greatest advantage. I’ve also added a public support forum to the site. It’s the place to go to get questions answered, report surprises, and send us feedback. And for quick questions, you can also reach us on Twitter @CoherenceLabs.

    I truly hope TypeMetal will delight people. I’ll be spending the next few weeks making sure its pioneering first users are happy with their purchase and any serious issues that arise get resolved quickly. From there out, I have many more great improvements in mind for the future. I am absolutely dedicated to making TypeMetal the best it can be, and an app people enjoy using. Stay tuned to our RSS feed — there’s more to come soon!

  • TypeMetal’s Icons

    Among TypeMetal’s many noteworthy features, I’m especially proud of one of the most visible — its stunningly beautiful app and snippet set icons, which were designed by the extraordinarily talented artists at Ramotion.

    For TypeMetal’s app icon, I wanted to clearly convey its identity as an HTML editor, and more broadly as a writing tool, while also making clear that TypeMetal was designed for the Mac from the ground up. I’m delighted by the way the end result achieves that with elegant simplicity, while looking right at home on OS X.

    TypeMetal Application Icon

    Snippet sets are a key feature of TypeMetal, and I wanted them to get first-class treatment too. The icon for this file type needed to convey a sense of fun as well as utility. I wanted to give the feeling of a kit of parts from which to build things — something one would find a bit of delight in downloading, opening, exploring, and using to make neat stuff. The box-of-brackets metaphor that Ramotion came up with does so beautifully.

    TypeMetal Snippet Set Icon

    You can find Ramotion on Dribbble and on Twitter. Thanks, guys, for the truly amazing work you’ve done for TypeMetal!