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Civility in critiquing the ideas of others is no vice. Rudeness in defending your own ideas is no virtue.


Fri 29 Apr 2011, 12:11 AM
While working up a demo of some of the features that our coming version of CoexEdit offers with the new discussion template in 8.5.2, I decided that at least one feature could be implemented by anybody, whether or not they have CoexEdit. This is the issue of using point sizes in CKEditor, the editor that ships with 8.5.2 to handle rich text editing on the web.

The problem (at least I see it as such) is that the default font sizes in this CKEditor implementation is in pixels, not in points. While that may be comfortable for web designers, the vast majority of people writing in rich text fields are NOT web developers. Let's review:

  • Lotus Notes client - font size measured in point sizes (every release from beginning to present)
  • Microsoft Word - font size measured in point sizes (every release from beginning to present)
  • OpenOffice - font size measured in point sizes (every release from beginning to present)
  • Virtually any other word processor/editor - font size measured in point sizes

There might be trend. Therefore, it might surprise you when you set the size in the new discussion db from the web, and think you have set it to 14pt, that you have really set it to 14px, which is about 11pt.

Fortunately, there is a simple fix. Currently, you need to apply it to every rich text control (or change your CKEditorWrapper.js file), although I am working on a more elegant solution. All you need to do is go to the rich text control inside your Custom Control or XPage. In the image below, I modify the mainTopic Custom Control for the standard discussion. Add a dojoAttribute called fontSize_sizes with a value of 8pt;10pt;12pt;14pt;18pt;32pt or whatever point sizes you want to be available.  After that, the point sizes will be available and work.  If you want to give users the option of using point of pixel sizes, I recommend using something like
8pt;9pt;10pt;12pt;14pt;18pt;32pt;8px;9px;10px;11px;12px;14px;16px;18px;32px

which will explicitly show the pt or px, as well as show the text in the size desired.


Out of the box implementation:

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Fix needed:

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After fix:

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Copyright © 2011 Genii Software Ltd.

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Thu 28 Apr 2011, 10:48 PM
This blog is one week shy of eight year's old, so it is good to know it is still good for something, even if that something is just starting tempests in teapots. But this particular tempest led to an absolutely classic quote from Paul Mooney, who has a way with words, or at least some words.

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Gregg Eldred recognized the awesomeness of the quote, and had some t-shirts made up. I'm not handy with a camera, so go visit Paul's post for a picture.

So, another milestone. Indirectly perhaps, but I've inspired a t-shirt. 

(Of course, the great thing for me is that I'm an author on the side, and in that crowd the meaning will be seen as something completely different. I can't wait to wear it.)

Copyright © 2011 Genii Software Ltd.

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Thu 28 Apr 2011, 06:22 PM
People are still slipping in under the wire in our special 2 for 1 deal for Genii server licenses (see full offer details), but there isn't much time left.  With major releases due out soon for CoexEdit, CoexLinks and the Midas Rich Text products, there couldn't be a better time... but only if you act now.

(Don't you just love it when I sound like a used car salesman? I may have missed my calling.)

Server licenses available for the offer:

CoexLinks - Email coexistence for mail routed between IBM Lotus Notes/Domino apps/users and other email platforms. Gives you greater control over doclinks and other fidelity issues.

CoexEdit - Notes/Web editing coexistence allowing you to edit from Notes client and web client, inside or outside of XPages, with excellent fidelity. Social business connections coming soon, and would be available for free as part of upgrade plan/

Midas Rich Text LSX - Multi-purpose rich text LotusScript extension allowing you to do almost anything you want with Notes rich text, and also export to and import from HTML, XHTML, MIME and more with high levels of fidelity and control.

Midas Rich Text C++ API - Same engine as Midas Rich Text LSX, except exposed to C++, C# or any other compiled language that accepts C++ shared libraries.

Copyright © 2011 Genii Software Ltd.

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Wed 27 Apr 2011, 10:00 AM
I am pleased to see that our CoexLinks coexistence product is still the top-ranked product at MSExchange.org, even if they persist in calling it migration software rather than coexistence software. Click on the image below to get to the page, and if CoexLinks has made a difference for your company, don't hesitate to vote and let us know what your experience has been.  (Psst! Remember that CoexLinks is part of our special offer, but time is running out quickly.)

Just wait until CoexLinks 3.0 comes out and redefines what it means to link email systems together. I hope the competition is prepared when we raise the bar even higher.




Copyright © 2011 Genii Software Ltd.

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Thu 21 Apr 2011, 10:20 AM
It's Day 2 of our special buy one server license, get one free offer, so I thought I'd post a few demos. The first creates cross reference links using the Midas Rich Text LSX.  Many people use the Midas in the Notes client to change rich text in the front end without hanging the back end (i.e., changes aren't saved).  This demo shows that working on the web (works with traditional and XPages web interfaces). 

The MedXRef db has a view with 2,214 medical terms taken from WebMD.com. In this demo, the LinkMatching method finds any of those terms in the rich text and creates links to the relevant article on WebMD. Below, I include a snippet from a health article on CNN Health called Sad in the spring? Allergy-mood link is real. In your applications, you can create cross reference links using any view, such as part names from a product database or matter numbers from a legal brief repository. The manipulated text is not saved, so the links can even be to different things depending on the action or person invoking it. Try the two actions below and see how the results change:


Sad in the spring? Allergy-mood link is real
By Elizabeth Landau, CNN
April 20, 2011 12:00 p.m. EDT
(CNN) -- You know spring has sprung when hundreds of people daily turn to Twitter to vent about their itchy eyes, dripping nose and uncontrollable sneezing and coughing. And if it's not obvious that allergies can ruin a person's day, watch how many tweets go by that use "allergies" and the f-word in the same sentence. 
"'Cranky' is really the best word for it," says Katie Ingram, 30, of Alexandria, Virginia, a triathlete who suffers seasonal allergies. "I take a lot of medication for it and that makes me sleepy. And I can't do a lot of the things that I like to do outside, so that makes me cranky. ... The wheezing part of it makes me feel tired." 
In some people, such annoyances are more serious. Research has shown there is about a doubling of risk for depression in a person suffering allergies and, if you've been seen by an allergist, that about triples the likelihood of having depression, said Dr. Paul Marshall, neuropsychologist at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


Later, I'll post the database which shows this in action. In the meantime, you can try this online with various articles in the MedXRef database.

Copyright © 2011 Genii Software Ltd.

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Wed 20 Apr 2011, 11:30 AM
There are ten days left in April, so I thought I'd make a special offer to celebrate the coming of Spring (I hope), Earth Day, AntiPasto Day (well, Oct 25 is World Pasta Day, so six months later must be...)

Anyway, here's the offer. Buy any of our server licenses (CoexLinks, CoexEdit, Midas Rich Text LSX, Midas C++ API), and get a second of equal or lower value for free.  For example:

  • Buy CoexLinks to support your mail coexistence, and get a second CoexLinks server license free or a CoexEdit server license to support other app coexistence needs.
  • Buy CoexEdit for two servers for the price of one, or get a Midas LSX server license to handle other more specific needs.
  • Buy three Midas Rich Text LSX server licenses and get three Midas C++ API server licenses free at the same time.

Both paid and free license come with a year of support, maintenance and upgrades.  After that, you can choose to get maintenance for one or both based on the original cost (20% of the list price when the license was purchased).  The only restrictions are that you have to mention this offer and pay by credit card, wire transfer or check by the end of April.  Multiple server licenses are allowed, with one free for each one purchased and paid for. Client licenses are not included in this deal.

Now is your chance to get off the fence and buy those licenses you need. But you only have ten days. Hurry and place your order.

Quick recap on what the products do, for those who are not familiar

CoexLinks - Email coexistence for mail routed between IBM Lotus Notes/Domino apps/users and other email platforms. Gives you greater control over doclinks and other fidelity issues.

CoexEdit - Notes/Web editing coexistence allowing you to edit from Notes client and web client, inside or outside of XPages, with excellent fidelity. Social business connections coming soon, and would be available for free as part of upgrade plan/

Midas Rich Text LSX - Multi-purpose rich text LotusScript extension allowing you to do almost anything you want with Notes rich text, and also export to and import from HTML, XHTML, MIME and more with high levels of fidelity and control.

Midas Rich Text C++ API - Same engine as Midas Rich Text LSX, except exposed to C++, C# or any other compiled language that accepts C++ shared libraries.

Copyright © 2011 Genii Software Ltd.

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