maXbox Blog 2011 - Release 31.01.2011

1. Technical Blog

mX3 for Kings & Queens and Guillotines

Programming for Free

Ease of use

Performance

Open Architecture

Compatibility

 

ImageFileLibBCB.  Program can read and write BMP, ICO, CUR, PNG, MNG, PCX, TIFF and JPEG 2000 bitmaps. RAS, PNM, PGM, PPM, HIPS images can be loaded, but not created. More graphics support for Canvas and TPicture, provides conversion pooling for any graphic driver.

Indy Socket Support.   Provides socket support capability.  SMTP, POP3, URI, HTTP, FTP...

System Utils.   Sysutils, Strutils, RegEx, Shell and Ini support in script and file - New binary operations.

Source code documentation.   Works with XML help insight for all registered public methods, properties, events.  XML/Html Documentation can be generated using the --doc Delphi compiler switch.

Use Case designer.  Enables modeling of use case and image conversion to a lot of graphic formats in mX3 framework.

Indy interfaced methods.  Concerning Indy, the SMTP, IdDayTime, hashCRC and message support is available, maXbox becomes a simple mailbox too, also the Indy globals with a lot of network or binary functions like to get the hostname or processid is done in mX3.

mX3 Adapters.  Improvments of 64Bit, PNG, Bitmap, Canvas, MP3, POP3, HTML and Ansi/WideStrings are done. A lot of String and Math Functions are added.  This allows apps to still use older scripts with the improvements of mX3.

Samples

Shell Execute Procedure

Unified code base is much easier to start with external shell scripts or batch code, and maintain.

mX3 now accesses and executes shell code using the new ExecuteCommand or ExecuteShell Procedure.

Enhanced Ini-File

New External Libs imported

Note that Unicode, PChar and 64 bit operations depends on definition files and can't supported in a general manner.

2. Release and Change Notes

New Plugin Driver Concept

The new driver will be called mX3plugin.dll.  This driver supports external apps registered in mX3.  This  driver will only work with the version of the next 3.5 so for the meantime MP3 and POP3 is now available in /Options/..and configurable in an Ini-file. 

Available Lib's

Procedure Changes

Most apps or scripts will not be affected by this changes.  However there are a some methods, properties, events, constants and enums that were removed or replaced with equivalent functionality from the VCL runtime lib, JEDI or Indy Globals.  These changes were required for one of two reasons:

Known compatibility and bug issues:

New Imported and Registered Units

Using Units and Packages (without PS and VCL Components)

3. Function test review mX3 suggestions

Review the mX3 Framework Show architecture overview document.

Please recompile and test your maXbox3 with the new mX3 framework units or use the compiled version 3.0.0.6 from the download.

Review the mX3 Functions List unit and function/procedure overview document.

More Information mX3 Site on the portal with docu, link and download support.

Download Now maXbox3 from sourceforge also Linux (January 2011) and Mac Version (June 2011).