We’re delighted to announce that a full-featured 21-day free “Demo” version of TypeMetal is now available! You can download it here!
One of the most challenging aspects of introducing a new class of writing app to the world is communicating a clear and complete picture of what it is and can do, and we know there’s no more direct way to get to know an app than to use it hands-on. Now you can try TypeMetal’s full feature set — from the ability to open arbitrary HTML files and edit and inspect their content visually, to integrated WordPress content authoring and publishing — free for 21 days.
If WordPress publishing is your area of interest, the free Demo version offers a great way to confirm that TypeMetal can sync with your WordPress site(s). (If you run into any trouble, please let us know! — We’re here to help!) The Demo version offers the same WordPress sync, authoring, and publishing capabilities as the purchased edition.
We hope you’ll enjoy seeing firsthand what TypeMetal can do! When you’re ready to make it an enduring part of your authoring workflow, you can find it on the Mac App Store!
WordPress REST sync, and a massive overhaul of WordPress sync robustness and cancelability, have landed in TypeMetal 2.2, alongside many more improvements!
REST is the modern, recommended protocol for communicating with WordPress sites, and we’re thrilled to support its use in TypeMetal — both for the improvements in speed, capability, security, and compatibility that it offers today, and for the future development it will help make possible.
TypeMetal uses REST automatically for wordpress.com accounts.
If you have a self-hosted WordPress site, you’ll need to install a Basic Authentication plugin such as this one to enable REST sync with TypeMetal 2.2. (We’re working on adding more advanced authentication options. Email us or @ us on Twitter to let us know what you use!) You can then opt into REST sync in the account panel’s new “Advanced Settings” section.
TypeMetal continues to support XML-RPC sync for compatibility, but migrating to REST is recommended, as XML-RPC has security vulnerabilities, is often disabled by web hosts, and will eventually be phased out.
I’m thrilled to share some exciting good news: TypeMetal is back on the Mac App Store! The new version, TypeMetal 2.1.2, runs natively on both M1 and Intel Macs, supports WordPress’ new “Block Mode” content model, and has appearance updates for macOS Monterey and Dark Mode, among many other improvements. You should soon see TypeMetal 2.1.2 offered as an Update in the App Store app.
TypeMetal has been back under active, full-time development since January, and this release marks the rekindling of its promise and potential. It’s the first of a planned series of updates, focused initially on the key enhancements needed to get TypeMetal users up and running again.
The launch of WordPress’ “Block Mode” has been by far the biggest of many significant changes in the tech world since TypeMetal was last updated. “Block Mode” fundamentally changes the way WordPress content is structured, shifting from the fully general HTML that TypeMetal was originally built for to specially commented HTML constructs that must be carefully maintained in their own way. The addition of WordPress Block Mode support is one of the biggest changes in this TypeMetal release. You’ll notice new block property inspectors and a different set of available HTML elements in Block Mode posts and pages. TypeMetal now defaults to creating new posts and pages in Block Mode, but still works as before with your plain-HTML “Classic Mode” content. You can ask TypeMetal to create new posts and pages in “Classic Mode” if you want, by unchecking “Use WordPress Block Mode” in a TypeMetal WordPress project’s Settings.
HTML file content authoring and editing remains the other half of TypeMetal’s focus, and this release brings several improvements to that realm, including upgraded image handling that better supports a higher-resolution world. See the Release Notes for the full list of improvements in TypeMetal 2.1.2.
Where to next? My planned roadmap for continued development includes:
ongoing improvements to WordPress Block Mode support, such as expanding the set of available block types and editable properties
refining keyboard navigation and the overall editing experience to smooth out rough edges and decrease editing friction
HTML validation updates to sync up with the latest HTML spec
French localization (work in progress)
big ambitions for a next major version, including support for new kinds of projects
I’m determined to build a sustainable development path for TypeMetal, that will dependably support its continued evolution and the fulfillment of the project’s tremendous potentials for years to come. My other work has been meaningful and rewarding in its own ways, but I’ve felt much regret over the neglect of a project that has continued to mean so much to me, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to give TypeMetal the full attention it deserves again.
TypeMetal users took a chance on a new and unknown app with an unconventional approach — some as far back as TypeMetal 1.0 in 2013 — and have done much to help give this project its start. I feel deeply grateful to all of you for your support, and will aim to reward your faith in this project with improvements that help you do your best creative work. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@coherencelabs.com with questions, problems, bug reports, and enhancement requests. I’ll be giving top priority to getting things running smoothly, and building TypeMetal into an app that makes your creative lives more productive and fun.
The post+page list now loads on demand, as it’s scrolled. This, and less aggressive reindexing, improve performance for sites with thousands of posts.
“Copy Permalink URL” from the post+page list context menu now works better. We put more kinds of data on the pasteboard, to help client apps find a kind they want to paste.
Index searching is more robust. Because nobody enjoys crashing mid-search — or ever, really.
WordPress post editor windows:
Post category list now registers edits correctly.
Cobwebs cleared, attic dusted, uses of deprecated API replaced.
Document properties titlebar popover is gone from WordPress project and post+page editor windows, where it just caused trouble.
Sincere thanks, as always, to our loyal users! If you find TypeMetal helpful, an App Store review, Tweet, or whatever you feel moved to post anywhere would be a greatly appreciated help in spreading the word! — Thank you!
TypeMetal 2.0.8 just arrived on the Mac App Store, with important fixes for both general HTML editing and WordPress issues. Of particular note:
Image references sometimes broke when a WordPress draft was saved and later reopened. That troublesome bug should be all fixed now.
Users whose WordPress sites are configured to use a custom XML-RPC URL (you know who you are) are no longer out of luck trying to connect using TypeMetal. TypeMetal’s WordPress login panel now allows for entering a custom XML-RPC URL, as described under “Connecting To WordPress”.
The Source Loupe’s virtual mouse pointer is back from an unintentionally long vacation, and once again hovers over the corresponding part of your HTML markup as you mouse over the rendered page.
We’ve protected against loss of WordPress draft content due to clicking dangerous links, editing a draft’s category or tag list with unfortunate timing, or getting the selected range to exceed attachment point limits. In short, your writing is safer now.
New post categories added via the WordPress web interface now reliably make their way to TypeMetal when you sync.
The “View in Browser” context-menu command can find WordPress.com-hosted drafts again.
As usual, many of the issues fixed in this release were reported by TypeMetal users like you. So please do keep the e-mails, Support Forum posts, and tweets coming, and let us know how we can help! (Reviews on the Mac App Store are also greatly appreciated and help more than you can know! If TypeMetal has been useful to you, please help us spread the word — Thanks!)
