Designer has signficantly reduced the amount of memory it consumes for each editor that you open. Until now, if a project totaled up to 20 MB
of files, all 20 MB were loaded from disk for each editor that you opened, regardless of the editor. The objects have been greatly
streamlined, and the data of each object is loaded from disk only as needed. For a 20 MB project, each editor usually consumes less than
200K, rather than the full 20 MB. In many cases, this lightened load should increase the performance when loading editors.
We also solved major memory problems where editors were never releasing memory. This would cause you to run out of memory rather
quickly if you were opening a lot of editors. That problem should be completely solved.
Designer is now based on the latest version of Eclipse 3.3 and the latest Java 6 Virtual Machine. Because performance enhancements were
made to both Eclipse and Java, Designer benefits from improved performance in many areas. For example, images should load 30-70%
faster from disk, depending on the image.
Designer 3.0 M1 requires that projects created in earlier versions be converted to the 3.0 format. Designer automatically does this
conversion. Projects created with Designer 2.0 M5 or the shipping version of Designer 2.0 are converted directly to the 3.0 M1 format.
Projects created in a version earlier than Designer 2.0 M5 are automatically converted to the 2.0 M5/2.0 shipping format and then
converted to the 3.0 M1 format.
The project converter also now lets you know what it is doing by listing the reasons the conversion is necessary and the benefits that occur, based on the
type of conversion (the converters that are automatically chained
together).
The following key objects in the Designer model are now saved to their own pure XML files. You can edit them directly by using an XML editor that is available from within Designer's Outline view.
![]() To specify your own editors:
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The Browser widget now uses profiles on GTK+ and linux-motif. As a result, many previous shortcomings have been fixed. The browser now does the following:
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At Brainshare 2007, we demonstrated a working version control in Designer and thought it would be ready for 3.0 M1. However, we encountered some signficant hurdles in maintaining project integrity when operating in a team environment. We apologize, but have opted to forgo version control for 3.0 M1 so that we can correctly put into place an underlying file architecture to fully support source version control. We anticipate that version control will be available in 3.0 M2.
Designer 3.0 M1 enables you to more easily switch between workspaces in Eclipse. For quick access, the most recently used
workspaces now appear when you select File > Switch Workspace.
When you minimize a view or an editor stack, a placeholder tray now appears in the closest trim location along the left, bottom, or
right edge of the workbench. Each view from the view stack acts as a fast view while in the trim.
You can restore the stack by clicking the tray's Restore icon. You can drag and drop minimized trays to new
locations along the workbench trim.
Maximizing any stack triggers minimization of all others.
The text editor has been enhanced to show tabs, white space, and carriage returns. You can use this editor on any text file that you
add to your Documents folder in the Project view.
To use this feature, select Window > Preferences > General > Editors > Text Editors > Show whitespace characters.
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When you open a help document as a result of a search, the search terms are highlighted by default. A new toggle icon now appears in
the toolbar so that you can turn highlighting off, making the document easier to read.
You can now print multiple topics, including a complete topic subtree at any level, with a single action.
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Help now displays a series of links called breadcrumbs at the top of each document. These links allow for easier navigation and provide
the context of the document being viewed.
Undo is now available for many task and bookmark operations. When you create, update, add, or delete a task or bookmark, you now have
the ability to undo that change. Use the Edit menu from the Task or the Bookmarks view to undo the operation.
You can now scroll through items listed in the Project Checker. This new behavior supports a more fluid workflow between focused
tasks (such as editing in a maximized editor) and the need for intermittent access to secondary information (such as selection in
the Outline view). In addition, it provides a more compact representation of minimized stacks, saving screen real estate.
To scroll through items listed in the Project Checker:
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A new filter has been added to DS Trace Viewer. This allows a user to filter the trace based on events.
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Other Enhancements & Bug Fixes |
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