Blocs 2.4 is almost ready

Thanks for your patience, I know March has been and gone and there is still no new version of Blocs to try. Rest assured I have been working around the clock to get it all finished off so we can begin testing it over the next 6 weeks.

Im pretty sure it will be ready very early next week as long as I don’t encounter any further setbacks…

Anyway, this is what is 100% guaranteed so far in 2.4. There will be a few other bits added during the beta but nothing major.

The biggest new feature is support for Page Templates - YES, you can now save pages as templates, so they can be used in other projects and also exported and shared with each other. Everything is stored in the template and managed when you use it, such as assets, smart swatches, classes, google fonts, even page attachments. This feature has taken months to develop, but it’s an instant game changer for the app when you can start a fresh project from a pre-made page template or start a new page from a template.

• Re-designed sidebar controls - Complete overhaul of the sidebar, much more intuitive, and a lot less clicking to try out styles.

• Improved Carousel controls - Better controls, more clear to see which image is currently targeted.

• Upgrade app framework to use WebKit 2.0 - This upgrade has been in the works since November 2016, Blocs always used the old webkit framework to generate the design canvas, it now takes advantage of the new webkit 2.0 cocoa framework. Huge improvement on frame rate, RAM footprint and general performance. This took a huge amount of work as it required around 60% of the entire app to be re-written, I know it nearly killed me doing it :dizzy_face: but its essential as new Macs require it other wise the app runs very poorly.

• Column collapse control on tablet and mobile - Control how columns stack on tablet and mobile.

• RTL text direction support - Support for Arabic, Persian etc right to left text formatting.

• Added typography controls to logo options - You can now style the logo from the sidebar.

• New Lightbox full screen frame style - New full screen light box similar to the one used on the Blocs home page.

• Added mobile swipe support to carousels - Swipe gesture left and right now navigates the carousels in Blocs sites on mobile devices.

• Improved text edit UX - Minor experience improvements for new users.

• Improved replace Image UX - Minor experience improvements for new users.

• x6 new social media Blocs - Some new social Blocs (I’ll be adding more Blocs very soon).

OK so thats how 2.4 is shaping up, I cant wait to share it with you.

Not long now :sunglasses:

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looking forward the 2.4 :grinning:
and thank you for supporting RTL :heart:

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@Norm That’s sounds great! Appreciate all the hard work you are putting into improving Blocs! Looking forward to testing the beta!

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You bet :grinning:

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Now that’s what i can an update. Much appreciated.

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Wwwwwooooo, that a big leap forward. Fantastic Norm!!!
Super features, looking forward to get my hands an the first beta!

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Can’t wait to test.

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Really looking forward to using this. Templates are a big game changer!.
Can’t wait!!
:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye::stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I am currently on 2.3 but when I go to Check for Updates, I get a “Blocs can’t be updated when it’s running from a read-only volume”. My application is in the Applications folder. Seems to be a Sparkle framework issue? How can I get this update when it’s available if I am seeing this error?

TIA!

This sounds like a big step forward. Well done @Norm

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Sounds fantastic, can’t wait to start playing.

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The beta will be posted here in the forum once it’s ready.

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Norm, I tried to access “https://blocsapp.com” today but it appears down. Can you confirm your server is working properly?

UPDATE: It’s now a few hours later and the site is back online. Thanks.

Yes our service provider had some downtown, a few explosions over at Media Temple :+1:t2:

Your announcement comes on the day of my birthday. And I always hope that sooner or later you can enter new carousel in lightbox mode … I think that would be a gift for many users :slight_smile: Good Work

2.4 Almost Ready…? when will it be ready and finished please

I’m planning on releasing it as a beta early next week. I’m hoping to leave it in beta for around 4-6 weeks prior to it be released publically.

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