endloop blog

iMockups

Inspirations and aspirations

First off, I want to thank the fine folks at TapTapTap for publishing their numbers on their blog for all to see. A hearty congrats to them on their continued success!

It’s always great for us developers to see how other apps perform, not just from a comparison standpoint but for educational and aspirational purposes as well.

Their blog post is what inspired me to write this one as we just hit a $100K milestone in App Store revenue for our wireframing app, iMockups for iPad.

Read more…

Hey folks,

I’m happy to report that iMockups for iPad v1.08 is now available.

Get the full update notes here: iMockups App Store Link

If you have a spare moment, please support us by giving us a rating and/or review on the App Store since the ratings/reviews are specific to each update. Thanks again for your support!

Here’s the video showcasing the new grouping and cross-project copy/pasting features:

Hey folks, iMockups version 1.07 is released! Here’s a quick video showing how our new image import feature works:

Here are the full release notes:

New Feature & Changes:

• Image Import: You can now import images from your own Photo Library to use in your mockups. Simply add an Image Control and click on it’s Info panel and then tap the Import Image button to select a custom image.
  **PLEASE NOTE: be careful importing very large photos or images as they take up a lot of memory. Make sure to size your Image object to the desired size BEFORE you do the import, it will correctly scale the imported image to that size in order to save memory.***

• Added a new Clone button to the Quick Menu for controls. This is a time saving feature that combines a Copy and Paste into a single click.
• Vastly improved touch detection algorithm. Resizing and moving UI Controls is now MUCH more intuitive and responsive. Resizer markers no longer scale with canvas.
• Increased the snappy-ness of the Alignment Lines.
• Sliders have been added for changing font sizes on all UI Controls.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed an issue with closing the Tutorials View while a video was still playing.
• Fixed a bug where Locking/Unlocking weren’t being captured in the Undo history.
• Fixed a bug where Paste wasn’t being captured in the Undo history.
• Fixed issues with Alignment lines scaling with the canvas and disappearing altogether.
• Fixed a bug where Undo of a Cut would bring the controls back into the rear layer.
• Fixed resizing behaviours of Checkbox, Radio Button controls, iPhone Tab Bar, and iPad Tab Bar, iPhone Frame, iPad Frame, iPhone Keyboard, iPad Keyboard.
• Fixed a bug where Alignment lines were not appearing when nudging.

We’re now working hard on a HUGE v1.1 update, you’re going to love it, more details soon!

Thanks,
iMockups Team

Note: This video only covers the basics of the new update, please read the full notes for more details


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If you haven’t yet, check out our new YouTube channel for tutorials videos: www.youtube.com/imockups

New Feature & Changes:

• 2 new UI Controls: iPhone Keyboard and iPad Keyboard (both support Portrait and Landscape orientations)
• Tutorial Videos - we’ve included some handy tutorials & tips in videos to help you discover all the great features of iMockups. Just click and TOOLS -> TUTORIALS to view all the videos.
• Email Support form - contact us directly via email if you have any questions or concerns. The email support form can be accessed from TOOLS-> TUTORIALS and is the button labelled SUPPORT in the upper right corner on the top Toolbar.
• Major Canvas Changes:
• Default zoom level is now 75% instead of 100% allowing for greater visibility of the entire canvas.
• Default canvas size is now 1338×968. Existing pages in projects will not be affected, this only applies to new pages created from now on.
• Canvas size is now adjustable. Access the canvas size popover from the Page Edit Menu (from the Page viewer, tap on the current page thumbnail to bring up the Page Edit Menu)
• Canvas size, zoom level and position are now saved and restored when switching pages/projects and even after closing and relaunching iMockups.
• Canvas can now only be zoomed out to 50% and zoomed in to 150% and can only be panned to the edges of the canvas so you won’t be able to lose track of it anymore.
• Zoom speed and sensitivity have been increased.
•  
• Delete Page function has been removed from the Edit menu. It is now accessible via the Page Edit Menu.
• A new UI Control Quick menu now appears when a control is selected. The UI Control Quick Menu allows you to lock, copy, cut, delete and view info for the control(s) selected. To access the UI Control’s Info Properties popover, simply double-tap on the control.
• Locking a UI Control now locks both Position and Size (it previously only locked size).
• Export Project has been changed to export only 3 pages at a time due to memory limitations. We are continuing to optimize this feature to increase the number of pages but for now, this should allow you to export your projects by batches of 3.

Bug Fixes:

• Improved zooming in and out of the canvas. Zooming now focuses on where you pinched/expanded.
• Fixed a bug with Cut/Copy/Paste of Segmented Controller not copying with all segments correctly.
• Fixed a bug where the Multi-Select wouldn’t always work when attempting to select objects that were overlapping each other.
• Fixed a bug where UI Controls were being created off the canvas.

Just a quick note as we prepare for our WWDC trip this weekend:

1) We’re just about to submit iMockups v1.06 with some big changes to the canvas that I think people will like. Don’t worry, your old mockups/diagrams will remain intact. More details very shortly.

2) Check out our new YouTube channel for iMockups tutorials: www.youtube.com/imockups

I’ve embedded the 1st tutorial below but please check out all of them, they’re all short and you might find some good tips.




Just wanted to write a short post and let you folks know what we’re working on for the next update:

• More iPhone/iPad controls (more specifics to come very soon)
• All nav bars and tab bar controls can now be set with a specific tab highlighted, using a slider on the Info panel
• Export to email (PNG format)
• fixed text field padding issues
• fixed some bugs with the Project view

More details to come but we just wanted to give you folks a heads up.

Thanks again for all your great feedback, it’s helping us to make this a better product for you. If you have feedback or suggestions, you can post them here http://www.getsatisfaction.com/endloop

Thanks,
iMockups Team

iMockups for iPad v1.03 is OUT and available on the App Store here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imockups-for-ipad/id364885913?mt=8

Check out this new video showing off the new features in iMockups for iPad v1.03

- iMockups Team

Good news, we’ve resubmitted v1.03 but in actuality, it’s v1.04 (don’t worry, it doesn’t matter).

What matters is that we’ve added a few new features since the rejection, notably SMART SNAP-TO GUIDES.

Here are the full notes:

New Feature & Changes:

- ALIGNMENT grid-lines and SNAP-TO functionality! Now aligning and resizing controls has become MUCH EASIER!

- iPhone and iPad frames now maintain their aspect ratios when resized

- X, Y, width and height are now displayed while dragging or resizing controls

- LOCKING/UNLOCKING size for UI objects, this can be done from the Info panel for any selected object. Once locked, an object can be moved but not resized/stretched.

- Control Properties Popover no longer automatically appears when you create new controls. This is to allow for rapidly dropping many controls consecutively without interruption. The Control Properties Popover can be displayed by selecting a Control and then tapping on the Info button along the Top Toolbar.

- Tap a Control on the palette to quickly place a new Control on the page. This allows for rapid creation of multiple Controls consecutively by tapping on the Control’s button.

- Improved dragging Controls from the palette. You will see the control appear at your finger and you can then drag it around the page to place.

- Removed the Delete prompt when deleting Controls. Undo allows you to undelete elements so a prompt is not necessary.

Bug Fixes:
- Improved ease of enabling the MULTI-SELECT box and improved the accuracy of the selection box
- Fixed a bug with resizing Text Area, Paragraph and Lorem Ipsum controls
- Fixed a bug with controls not displaying properly after a copy/paste (Nav Bar, Tab Panel, iPhone Tab Bar, iPad Tab Bar)
- Further refined touch/hit sensitivity on resizer markers when resizing and moving controls.
- Optimized memory footprint of pages and projects, increases stability when handling large projects.
- Improved object selection and movement, fine tuned the blue dots touch radius.
- Info property popover for controls now always appears from the toolbar, preventing any fields from being cut off when the keyboard displays.
- Undo wasn’t tracking history when editing objects through the control’s properties popover.
- Fixed a bug where the Cut and Copy buttons would be disabled even though there were controls selected.
- Fixed a bug where the Control Properties Popover would not display the correct label or fields for the selected Control.
- Fixed a bug where the paperclip (current page indicator) was not moving with the current page when re-ordering.
- Improved accuracy when zooming in and out of the page.
- Fixed a bug where the Controls Properties Popover would not dismiss when going into Presentation mode.
- Fixed a bug where multiple popovers were appearing on the screen at the same time when switching menus.

We’ll let you know as soon as the update gets approved!

Thanks for your patience,

- iMockups Team

Our apologies, we had to resubmit so we decided to roll a few more fixes and features into this update (just submitted). Here are the full update notes:

New Feature & Changes:

• LOCKING/UNLOCKING size for UI objects, this can be done from the Info panel for any selected object. Once locked, an object can be moved but not resized/stretched.
• Control Properties Popover no longer automatically appears when you create new controls. This is to allow for rapidly dropping many controls consecutively without interruption. The Control Properties Popover can be displayed by selecting a Control and then tapping on the Info button along the Top Toolbar.
• Tap a Control on the palette to quickly place a new Control on the page. This allows for rapid creation of multiple Controls consecutively by tapping on the Control’s button.
• Improved dragging Controls from the palette. You will see the control appear at your finger and you can then drag it around the page to place.
• Removed the Delete prompt when deleting Controls. Undo allows you to undelete elements so a prompt is not necessary.

Bug Fixes:

• Optimized memory footprint of pages and projects, increases stability when handling large projects.
• Improved object selection and movement, fine tuned the blue dots touch radius.
- Info property popover for controls now always appears from the toolbar, preventing any fields from being cut off when the keyboard displays.
• Undo wasn’t tracking history when editing objects through the control’s properties popover.
• Fixed a bug where the Cut and Copy buttons would be disabled even though there were controls selected.
• Fixed a bug where the Control Properties Popover would not display the correct label or fields for the selected Control.
• Fixed a bug where the paperclip (current page indicator) was not moving with the current page when re-ordering.
• Improved accuracy when zooming in and out of the page.
• Fixed a bug where the Controls Properties Popover would not dismiss when going into Presentation mode.
• Fixed a bug where multiple popovers were appearing on the screen at the same time when switching menus.

Thanks for your continued support! If you like iMockups for iPad, please leave a review on iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imockups/id364885913?mt=8, thanks!

Hopefully this will be approved soon, keep your eyes peeled

- iMockups for iPad Team

It should be available within an hour or so, but here is the full update notes:

Bug Fixes:

- Greatly improved stability from general crashing when switching projects or between Presentation Mode and Edit Mode
- Fixed crashing bug with cutting,copying and pasting certain controls
- Multi-select (tap and hold TWO FINGERS on the canvas) should now be easier to activate
- Fixed bug where Properties popover for elements wasn’t displaying properly
- Controls Panel positioned incorrectly when iPad is laid down flat
- Slightly jittery animation when zooming and panning canvas with TWO FINGERS
- Erratic behaviour when swiping between projects in Project View
- Improved resizing controls (blue markers should be easier to touch)
- Disabled auto-hiding of Page Deck and Controls Panel when panning and zooming canvas
- Added an additional Toolbar button (INFO) for bring up the selected Control’s Info panel
- Updated Help page (HELP can be accessed from the TOOLS menu)

***************************************
IMPORTANT TIPS: PLEASE READ!
***************************************
- PLEASE Visit our blog http://blog.endloop.ca
 and follow @EndloopStudios and @iMockups on Twitter for the latest news and updates!

- Tap TOOLS > HELP for an overview of controls

- You must use TWO FINGERS to PAN the canvas since a single finger will select and move controls

===================

UPCOMING FEATURES:


- snap-to grid lines

- border and background color picker for UI controls

- more export options: email, XML, PDF

- improved customization of UI controls

- more UI controls

- more icons
- improved touch controls
- additional themes/skins



***** 

Expect fast and furious updates!

We are listening and want YOUR FEEDBACK - we want to make the product that you want to use.

PLEASE Visit our blog http://blog.endloop.ca so we can hear your voice!

*****

If you’re happy with iMockups and our continued updates, please leave an honest review for us in the App Store: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/imockups/id364885913?mt=8

We want as much feedback from our community as possible, so feel free to leave comments here or email us at endloop [at] endloop.ca

*UPDATE* We’re submitting another update before we move onto more features-focused update:
It will feature a short but essential list of improvements:

- improves object selection and movement, fine tuned the blue dots touch radius
- LOCKING/UNLOCKING for UI objects, this can be done from the Info panel for any selected object. Once locked, an object can be moved but not resized/stretched.
- reduced memory footprint of pages and projects, increases stability when handling large projects

Thanks again for your patience!
- iMockups Team.