[rel] Gmail Notifier Plus for Windows 7

[andrew_]

(Reminder: That code that I'm working from is hosted here; https://github.com/shellscape/Gmail-Notifier-Plus. The original author of this app has abandoned it and was unresponsive to requests to release the source code. Reflector was used to export the source from the application binary and this is what we're working from in order to get a functional Gmail Notifier Plus that we can maintain, fix bugs in and update with new features.)

Got some work done on this today and got the settings dialog functional. As of this posting, the following still needs to be remedied before it's usable:

• Icon reference errors (missing icons)
  
• Errors checking mail.
  
• Mail notification numbers. (I removed the 99 different images that contained the numbers).
  
• Add an advanced error hook and report dialog from Kapsules to the app. Should prevent some total crashes and will provide some diagnostic information.
  

As always I'll post as I have updates. Really hoping to finish off everything today as exceptions are occurring on a more frequent basis on my machine and it's really bugging me.

[andrew_]

Well, this is how far I got tonight; I've done away with the old overlay method that the original author used, and opted instead to replace the entire window icon when new mail arrives. Here's a picture of the app supporting 99 emails, which was the old app's maximum:

And here's the (long-awaited by some) ability to support more than 99 emails:

I need to do some research on the interop api being used for this, as there could be some minor resource leakage I need to button up. Still have a bunch more to do on this to get it usable, but feel free to download and compile the source from GitHub in the meantime.

[andrew_]

Last update for today; The app is fully functional now. I'm sure there are some quirky spots that I haven't found yet. But the rebuild hasn't been put through any QA, nor any heavy use by myself. I'm going to start using it full time tomorrow, however.

The only task left on my plate before I can re-release this is the better exception/error handling and reporting. As per usual, the code on GitHub is up to date.

[andrew_]

Some more updates today:

• Added account encryption back in.
  
• Added some better error handling, laid the groundwork for automatic reporting of issues from the error dialog.
  
• Errors won't crash the app like they do in the original version.
  

All these commits can be viewed on the GitHub repo for the project.

[andrew_]

I ran into a really interesting problem today regarding the mail count numbers. It turns out, that when a program is pinned to the taskbar, Windows will use the icon associated with the exe, rather than the app's first window's icon, as it does when the program is unpinned. The large-number overlay that I demonstrated a few posts ago is possible, but only if the app is not pinned to the taskbar.

Assuming that anyone reads this thread anymore - how many folks run this app unpinned?

[andrew_]

Feel like I'm spamming this topic, can't seem to edit posts I've made after a certain period of time has passed.

Anyhow, I've packed the build that I'm running on my machine now, and placed it up for download at https://github.com/shellscape/Gmail-Notifier-Plus/downloads.

Gmail Notifier Plus 2.1.2.36148 is ready for your testing.

PLEASE use GitHub's Issue Tracker for reporting issues. https://github.com/shellscape/Gmail-Notifier-Plus/issues

I'm not going to try to track reported issues in this thread, I'll go insane.

[aznkid25]

Your work on this app is appreciated Andrew. I will download this new build & test it out. Thanks.

Edit: When I first run this updated version, I am already hit with an error:

Am I doing something wrong? I unpacked the ZIP file, and copied the folder to my Program Files folder, to run the app from there. The error pops up whenever the app checks for new mail. Also, the error ID is different every time, but the error message is the same.

[andrew_]

PLEASE use GitHub's Issue Tracker for reporting issues. https://github.com/s...ier-Plus/issues

I'm not going to try to track reported issues in this thread, I'll go insane.

Saw your issue reported on GitHub. I'll be replying there. Thanks.

[andrew_]

Latest build solves the issue aznkid25 ran into. Please download and test! Once I get a stable build going I'll be working on all requests.

[NunxPT]

Hello,

Just registered to thank you for keeping this app alive :)

I'm using your latest build and it's working like a charm.

[andrew_]

Great to hear. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm waiting on another week of testing on my machine, and to see if any more issues roll in on github. If everything is still running fine at the end of the week, I'm going to compile a list of requested features from the many pages in this thread and start work on those.

[aznkid25]

Would it be possible to include a "run on startup" option in the next update? Also, it doesn't really affect the application itself, but every time I start up my computer, and have the app auto-start, an error pops up. Keep forgetting to copy it & post it on Github though. Will post it the next time it happens.

[andrew_]

Well you can always just create a shortcut to it in the Startup directory of the Start Menu.

[NunxPT]

Well you can always just create a shortcut to it in the Startup directory of the Start Menu.

That's the method I use but I must say that the "include on startup" would be a nice feature.

Any chance you could do a list of the features you're considering implementing?

[andrew_]

When I get around to compiling all of the requests that span the 60 some odd pages of this thread, I'll start a new thread with the list that I'll be implementing.

Feel free to fork the repo, add any features you'd like, and then file a pull request. I'll promise I'll have a careful look at any pull requests.

[aznkid25]

FYI, I just posted a new issue I encountered in the app on the GitHub site.

[andrew_]

I'm creating a new thread for the 2.3 release roadmap. https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/974848-gmail-notifier-plus-23-roadmap/

I will no longer be replying on this thread.

If an admin sees this, please lock this thread.