jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing ...

davidekholm

Posts: 4,028
Registered: 18-Oct-2002

jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 28 Mar 26, 17:33

v39.4 is around the corner now. Here's the current beta:

Installers:
Windows: https://jalbum.net/download/jAlbum-install.exe
Mac (M-series): https://jalbum.net/download/jAlbum-M.dmg
Mac (Intel): https://jalbum.net/download/jAlbum.dmg

Changes:

PDF files now have thumbnails and closeup images (taken from 1:st page)
Files can now be ordered by creation date
Thumbnails can now also display creation date
Fixed potential crash issue in Mac image reader (when reading broken/empty images)
Fixed rare freeze issue when using the Mac file chooser
Fix: Lifeboat creation wasn't working properly with views
Fix: Adding files with "Replace" option chosen wasn't respected
Fix: Windows image reader would leave open file locks, preventing file deletions (fixed in https://jalbum.net/download/imageio-win.jaext)

JeffTucker

Posts: 8,595
Registered: 31-Jan-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 28 Mar 26, 18:54

in response to: davidekholm

The PDF routine seems to be stable.

But it spoils all my fun - I've got all sorts of scattered of code dedicated to making the generic PDF icon presentable when used as a thumbnail. It's a long story, but if a generic icon gets cropped to a fixed shape that doesn't match its aspect ratio, ugly things start happening. So I've had to address it by using a fixed aspect ratio empty PNG as the thumbnail, but with a PDF icon as a background image. It's very byzantine. All of that lovely code, for nothing!

RobM

Posts: 4,092
Registered: 4-Aug-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 28 Mar 26, 20:33

in response to: davidekholm

Odd error, any skin supporting page templates. When adding templates, or opening a project with templates already in it, I'm getting a red triangle and the error

java.nio.file.NoSuchFileException: $SKIN_TEMPLATES_DIR/NameOfTemplate.htt

Any template causes the error.

Edited by: RobM on 28 Mar 2026, 19:33
The templates are added/there and can be opened.

JeffTucker

Posts: 8,595
Registered: 31-Jan-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 28 Mar 26, 21:07

in response to: RobM

Yes, I'm seeing that, too, both when adding a template and when opening a project that already has one. Doesn't seem to do any harm, but where there's smoke....

davidekholm

Posts: 4,028
Registered: 18-Oct-2002

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 28 Mar 26, 22:15

in response to: JeffTucker

Now fixed: https://jalbum.net/download/beta/jalbum-core.jar

RobM

Posts: 4,092
Registered: 4-Aug-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 28 Mar 26, 22:55

in response to: davidekholm

davidekholm wrote:
Now fixed: https://jalbum.net/download/beta/jalbum-core.jar

Thanks.

JeffTucker

Posts: 8,595
Registered: 31-Jan-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 29 Mar 26, 22:47

in response to: davidekholm

davidekholm wrote:

PDF files now have... closeup images (taken from 1:st page)

A little glitch. If you're linking only to originals, there is no closeup image - imagePath is null.

It's OK if you attach a representing image to the PDF. In that case you still get what I'll call the "PDF poster image," planted in slides. But if you're relying on the 1st-page, core-generated image, you don't get the slide image.

Linking to scaled images, everything seems to be fine.

ETA: This is very low priority. Because of the changes in the way my skins will be handling PDF's from now on, I don't think I'll actually need these "PDF poster images." But another skin might get tripped up by the missing image. I can't predict where it might cause trouble - PDF handling is a minefield, especially in a lightbox skin.

JeffTucker

Posts: 8,595
Registered: 31-Jan-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 31 Mar 26, 17:06

in response to: JeffTucker

Here's a little Minimal demo project to illustrate:

(demo project removed)

Make the album and look at the output directory. You'll see a slides/Lorem.png image, the poster for the PDF.

Now delete the local album, and switch to linking to originals only - no scaled images. Make the album. You won't find a Lorem.png image anywhere in the output.

Edited by: JeffTucker on 2 Apr 2026, 11:35

davidekholm

Posts: 4,028
Registered: 18-Oct-2002

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 2 Apr 26, 09:22

in response to: JeffTucker

jAlbum 39.4 released. See https://jalbum.net/software/release-notes

JeffTucker

Posts: 8,595
Registered: 31-Jan-2006

Re: jAlbum 39.4 beta for testing
Posted: 2 Apr 26, 13:27

in response to: davidekholm

Looks like the final release also took care of the "originals only" glitch with PDF slide images. Not sure if any skin is using them, but it's now there if they need it.