Yeah, I know this is taking longer than I thought, but there are some pretty significant changes going on under the hood, which of course introduces bugs 🐜.  And, there’s the dreaded project creep.  Requests for new functionality has taken up a lot of time, but will undoubtedly result in a better product.  Hopefully.  So, here’s where we stand… Keep record of actions on a stack – Done Implement Save As function – Done Implement Import function (New) – Done Implement Undo & Redo functions – Done, but needs revisiting Complete Shadow function – Cancelled for version 1.10 Add Blur […]

Well, the last couple of days have been exhausting!  But progress has been made.  I’ve had to rewrite a large part of the Icon Composer code to accommodate Core Image, but that means I’ll be able to offer many more filters at little additional coding effort.  This is where I stand currently: Keep record of actions – Done Implement Save As function – Done Implement Import function (New) – Done Implement Undo & Redo functions – Done Complete Shadow function – In progress Implement Blur function – Done Implement optional grid overlay – Done Move Crop mode to a floating […]

Still finding bugs and adding functionality, side by side.  Here’s the latest list: Keep record of actions – Done Implement Save As function – Done Implement Import function (New) – Done Implement Undo & Redo functions – Done Complete Shadow function – In progress Implement Blur function – Pending Implement optional grid overlay – Done Move Crop mode to a floating window and rename it Edit mode – Done Implement Add Text function – Pending Implement Print function – Pending The Print function may not make it into Version 1.10 because it’s not really that important.  However I did think […]

Loads of progress in the last couple of days.  Keeping a stack of user actions required a lot of work under the hood, but the structure is now much cleaner and more extensible, so I guess it was worth the effort.  So where am I on my To Do list? Keep record of actions – Done Implement Save As function – In progress Implement Undo & Redo functions – Done Complete Shadow function – In progress Implement Blur function – Pending Implement optional grid overlay – Done Move Crop mode to a floating window and rename it Edit mode – […]

Oh dear!  My mind is racing with new possibilities for Icon Composer.  I’d better write my ideas down before they get too confused // TODO: Keep record of actions // TODO: Implement Save As function // TODO: Implement Undo & Redo functions // TODO: Complete Shadow function // TODO: Implement Blur function // TODO: Implement optional grid overlay // TODO: Move Crop mode to a floating window and rename it Edit mode // TODO: Implement Add Text function // TODO: Implement Print function Straight cut and paste from my app delegate – if you know Swift you’ll recognise the comment […]

Well, yesterday I mentioned 5 or 6 new ideas for Icon Composer, so I immediately pulled up my laptop and promptly ignored them all!  Instead, I’m working on adding a shadow to the individual images, which I thought would be a cool way of getting a 3D effect.  It’s not that straightforward though.  For a start, most of the stock images you grab from the internet use up all of their canvas, meaning there’s no border.  So when you add a shadow, it gets kinda truncated at the edges (see the pic above the Swift’s beak), and that looks weird […]

Sound out the trumpets!  Bang the drums! Actually, nothing changed in the app itself.  I just added some spiff screenshots in the App Store, and that requires a whole new version. Whoop-de-doo! Now the basic functionality is in place, I’m thinking of what to add next.  Here are my ideas: A “Save” feature, so the user can save their work and improve it later.  I’m thinking to save a folder with the original image files, plus a file that documents any editing so the final image can be recreated.  Bit of a major rebuild under the hood for that one. […]

This is where you make contact if you’re in need of support for Icon Composer.  Just leave a comment below, and I’ll get back to you.  You can use this forum for: Help with using Icon Composer Bug reports Requests for additional functionality (if agreed it would be useful, it’ll be free of charge!) Feedback

This is my first attempt at running a blog, so we’ll see how it works out.  Basically this came about when the coronavirus and Apple’s App Store reviewers temporally aligned.  Yes, having been locked out of Malaysia (temporarily I hope), and having nothing better to do than write apps for Mac and iPhone/iPad. So my first project during the lockdown was Icon Composer.  A natty little app for the Mac.  Anyone who has ever tried to write an app using Xcode will recall tearing their hair out when they haver to build numerous icons of very specific sizes.  It’s an […]

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