Helix RADE Changelog

What's new in Helix RADE 7.0.1 Build 6184

Mar 27, 2017

USER MODE (RADE, ENGINE, AND CLIENT/SERVER):
Crash during the collection update process (R9224):
When a collection is updated to Helix 7.0, all internal strings are converted to Unicode. Groups of strings (e.g. values defined for a static popup menu) are stored together in a ‘list of strings’ object. The crash was triggered when one particular list of strings — the list of every font ever available to the collection — grew to more than 32K when the font names were converted to Unicode. Helix 7.0.1 now accepts lists of strings as large as 65K.
In the extremely rare case where the translation to Unicode would expand a list of strings beyond 65K, the list is trimmed to prevent that from happening.
Very Slow Client Server performance with v7.0 cf 6.2.4 (R9222):
A change made late in the beta cycle to address another bug had the unintended consequence of severely impacting Client performance compared to 6.2.4. The code has been corrected, so that the original bug is fixed and performance is restored.
Expanded collections may return 551B error when data is added (R9212)
A vestigal test that sometimes reported an error when a collection passed the 4GB threshold has been removed.
Picture Entry causes immediate crash(R9225):
Pasting a picture into a picture field should no longer cause a crash when the record is entered.
A crash when deleting large datasets (R9202):
In all versions of Helix in macOS, putting Helix into the background while deleting a large dataset on a list would result in a crash when the delete process completed. This is fixed.
Constructed document path fails to find document (R9218):
Tiles that alter attributes of a document to produce a new document sometimes failed. This is fixed.
Document export fails or goes to the wrong directory(R9211):
When documents are specified to export ‘with control file’ they are now exported to the correct folder. (That is, the one specified when naming the control file.)
Replace HDOC resource with HxDocumentBufferSize preference (R9011)
A preference setting for controlling the size of Helix’s internal document handling buffer has been moved from the resource fork into the preferences file. See the Helix Preference Editor technote for more information.
Default name of pdf printout should be view name(R9112):
When a view is printed as a PDF, the underlying template now properly retains the name given to the file, for replay in sequences, and consistent naming.
For some unknown reason, the first time a view is created, the default name presented when choosing “Save as PDF” or “Save as Postscript” is now “Print.pdf”. However, choosing “Open PDF in Preview” displays the PDF in Preview using the name of the view, as expected. From that point forward the “Save as…” commands properly use the view name (or the last name given).
Demo mode expiration dialog repeats over and over(R9217):
When running in demo mode, the ‘time is up’ dialog would not go away, but would immediately bring up another copy of the dialog when it was clicked on, requiring a Force Quit to escape. This is fixed.
Dynamic popup menu selection could fail (R9221):
Under some indeterminate conditions when a dynamic popup changes, Helix attempts to reselect the item that was previously selected. If the new popup has less items than the position of the one that was previously selected, an error occurs. Helix now checks the length of the menu before attempting to reselect the item.
Copyright information has been updated for 2017.
The text in a few dialogs has been clarified.
Bad links in the help files are fixed.
DESIGN MODE (HELIX RADE):
Inspector fails to set abacus validation(R9227):
Attempting to change an abacus validation from tile (‘simple’ validation) to an abacus (‘expert’ validation) would fail, resetting the validation back to the tile. This is fixed.
Inspector fails to commit changes to number or fixed point data formatting (R9209)
Changing a property in the ‘Number/Fixed Point Data Display Properties’ section of the Inspector would sometimes have no effect: making it impossible to commit the changes. This is fixed.
Decimal places bounds checking for is missing(R9214):
The Inspector allowed Fixed Point data to be formatted with ‘Decimal places’ in the range of -7–2. AppleScript allowed Fixed Point and Number data to be formatted with ‘Decimal places’ of any value. Both of these bugs are fixed.
Sorting by ‘User Mode Name’ wrongly sorts by ‘Custom Name’ (R9230):
The code to sort by user mode name was using the custom name to sort instead. It now sorts correctly.
Dragging text abacus over word tile socket fails(R9205):
Helix 7.0 allows non-keyword text in the first socket of a keyword tile. Although a text or styled text abacus could be set via the Inspector or by AppleScript, dragging an abacus over the socket would fail. This is fixed.
Outer rectangles block repeat rectangle when they should not(R9208):
The ability to rotate rectangles was not factored into the code that determines whether a rectangle blocks the repeat rectangle from repeating. This bug is fixed.
In addition, for the purpose of determining interaction with the repeat rectangle, all outer rectangles are now calculated using only the upper left point of the rectangle, as was the intention when rotation was added. This has the added benefit of allowing tighter template design, and allowing more rectangle overlap when a repeat rectangle is involved.
Uncommitted changes block Autosave without notification (R9177):
In prior versions, autosave would not trigger if there were uncommitted changes, but the user was not notified of this. Helix now issues a Why? message stating “AutoSave can not save the collection while there are uncommitted changes.”
Applying Helix 6 clipping with User icon mangles that user’s menus (R9221):
A number of issues when applying a Helix 6.x clipping that contains user icons are fixed:
the macOS code that translates MacRoman text into Unicode does not translate the  (Apple) menu. Helix 7.0.1 manually detects this character and ensures that a duplicate menu is not created.
The Classic ‘Desk Accessories’ placehoder was not being removed, creating a blank line in the user’s ‘Helix’ menu. Helix 7.0.1 properly removes this menu item
The internal definition of the Enter/Replace command changed in Helix 7.0, but older clippings were not being adapted to the new definition.
Note: in clippings from 6.2.4 or earlier, the Quit command is at the bottom of the ‘File’ menu. In Helix 7.0 the Quit command on the User menu is ignored, as macOS always puts one at the bottom of the ‘Helix’ menu. Collection designers can move it manually or remove it altogether: macOS will put it in the macOS-designated location either way.

New in Helix RADE 6.2.4 Build 6052 (Jun 19, 2014)

New:
R8774: Performance enhancements
R8762: Structure Check (SC) Log enhancements Structure Check Failure Dialog enhancement
Bug fix:
R8762: Structure Check (SC) Log no longer appends when HxSCAppendLog is not set
A bug in prior versions of Helix caused the default value of the HxSCAppendLog preference to return as true on some systems, although the default was supposed to be false. Helix now always returns false unless the preference has been explicitly set to true. See Editing Helix Preferences for more details on changing this preference.
R8769: Deleting a power query constant, then its line, no longer crashes
In prior versions, deleting the constant from a line in a power query, then clicking the (-) button next to it (to remove the line) would trigger a crash. This is now handled properly.
R8776: Advanced query optimizer no longer optimizes an abacus out of existence
When a dynamic popup or subform is query restricted, the advanced query optimizer is used to determine which records to display in the popup. With a specifically constructed query and specific sets of data, the optimizer could neglect to mark an abacus icon as ‘being used by the optimizer’ but then ‘unmark’ it when the optimization was completed. (Technically, a ‘usage counter’ is incremented/decremented.)
This resulted in a very rare situation in which an icon could be deleted during normal Server operations, resulting in collection damage. This bug has been fixed.
R8777: Extract tile with negative offset no longer wrongly returns ‘undefined’ in certain conditions
When the length of the text being tested is exactly one character less than the negative offset specified (in either socket) of an extract ◊ through ◊ from ◊ tile, the results were incorrectly returned as undefined. This case is now handled properly.
R8781: Apple event data suite no longer returns the record delimiter when it should not
With the exception of get view data as Helix data (the original spec) the specification for get view data as… legacy actions is to trim the trailing record delimiter from the reply. When R8657 (Reply of subform data truncated when record delimiter is in a field) was fixed, Helix began returning the trailing record delimiter. This has been fixed.
R8783: Garbage data is no longer returned when ‘include outer data’ is set, but there is no outer data
When an Apple event retrieves data from a view that has the ‘include outer data’ property checked, garbage data was being returned in the place of the outer data. Helix now ignores the ‘include outer data’ property, as Apple events use a specific parameter to retrieve the outer data.
R8778: Fixes to support for extended file sizes
Helix 6.0 increased the maximum collection size from 2GB to 4GB, and introduced support for collections as large as 64GB. Although tools to modify existing collections to support extended file sizes are not available in Helix 6.2.4, bugs in the underlying code have been fixed. Users who wish to experiment with extended file size collections may do so only with new collections by modifying the HxAppFRTL2Val preference before creating one.
Text of an Apple event error message now refers to a parameter by its proper name
When a collection is in User Mode (or open with Helix Server) the script must ‘login’ as a user with Design Mode access to the collection structure. To make changes to that structure, the ‘modifying allowed’ parameter must also be passed. The error — when attempting to modify structure without having first supplied this parameter — referred to it as the ‘modify’ parameter.
Autosave no longer hangs just before midnight
It was possible to configure Autosave in a way that would cause Helix to hang at the end of the day, if left running all night. This has been resolved.
A crash that could occur when closing a window during printing has been fixed
A grammatical horror in the ‘save record before…’ dialog has been vanquished
Helix Client/Server:
R8756: Client no longer crashes if OS X requests a retry
Network communications occur at the OS level and in certain situations occur during what is called ‘interrupt mode.’ Interrupt mode is a state where all processes on the system are stopped (interrupted) so that something which must happen immediately can occur. OS X sets aside a small amount of memory just for interrupt routines, and if this memory is already filled with requests when a new memory request is received, OS X responds with error 35. This is a transient error, and the implication is that these errors can be resolved simply by waiting for the network to catch up.
When an error 35 occurs, Helix now retries for a full second — on machines that can process billions of instructions every second, this constitutes thousands of retries — before giving up and disconnecting the Client.
R8770: Situations that trigger a 7603 error on Client have been fixed
When a data change comes to a Client, lists (including subforms and dynamic popup menus) that reference that data must be rebuilt. In some instances, the new data can be inserted in the list, but in others, the list must be deleted and rebuilt from scratch. The 7603 errors were triggered when changes arrived so quickly that a request to insert data into the list would be processed while the list was still being deleted and rebuilt by a prior request.
The solution is to suspend the processing of change records while the list deleting functions are running. Once the list is rebuilt, the updates are then applied, and the 7603 error is avoided.
Helix RADE:
R8748: Multiple reports of crashes when editing an abacus have been resolved
Various situations were reported wherein deleting tiles or disconnecting arrows from tiles would lead to eventual crashes. In addition, attempts to revert the abacus were not being handled correctly, which could also lead to a crash.
All known instances of abacus editing leading to a crash have been resolved in Helix RADE 6.2.4.
R8771: Import and export now handle the “Commit/Revert” status better
After importing or exporting data in Design Mode, the ‘Commit/Revert All’ buttons were being enabled. Oddly, although changing an import or export path is, technically, a change to the view properties, the ‘Commit/Revert’ were not enabled for the view.
Aside from that curiosity, the need to commit the ‘change’ could interrupt a large import or export operation, should an autosave occur and trigger the “commit changes before saving” dialog. To avoid this, path changes are now committed immediately when they occur in an import/export dialog.
R8775: Deleting a command rectangle designated as the ‘default button’ no longer leaves the “has default button” property set for the template
If a command rectangle with the ‘default button’ property was deleted from a template, the template‘s ‘has default button’ property was not being updated, making it impossible to designate another command rectangle as the default button. This is now handled properly.
Existing templates with an improperly set ‘has default button’ property must be recreated from scratch to create a new template with the correct setting. Collections containing this error can also be sent to QSA ToolWorks for a no charge repair.
R8784: Setting the “include outer data” property via Inspector or AppleScript now works correctly
Although the ‘include outer data’ property checkbox is functional in the Inspector, checking it had no effect on the view property. Setting the property via AppleScript was also failing. (Only the Import/Export ‘Options’ dialog was able to change this property correctly.) Helix now handles it properly in all cases.
In addition, it was noted that the labels for the import/export options dialog were using the old names for these properties. The dialog has been updated and is now consistent with the Inspector/AppleScript property labels.

New in Helix RADE 6.2.3 Build 6033 (Apr 26, 2014)

R8369: Closing an abacus used to link a subform no longer generates a 6507 error - If a view using a template with a subform is open while an abacus used to link that subform is being edited, RADE would crash when the abacus editor window is closed. The problem was that the open view would attempt to redraw while the abacus and its associated index were in the process of being updated, and the abacus/index were unavailable at that time. The view now waits for the abacus/index re-evaluation to complete before redrawing.
R8476: Un-defining a previously defined constant is now possible - The code that detects a legal value in a tile socket dialog did not consider ‘undefined’ legal, making it impossible to reset the constant to an undefined value via the dialog. Undefined is now considered a legal state. In addition, minor maintenance is no longer required after changing constant.
R8566: Applying structure with missing subform references no longer crashes - A crash occurred when a clipping containing templates that have subforms, but not the subform templates themselves, was applied to a collection. This is now handled correctly.
R8593: Editing a collection’s ‘custom name’ property in the Inspector no longer crashes - The code for committing an icon name change assumed that the icon has a parent, but the collection icon has no parent, so setting the custom name for the collection resulted in a crash. This has been fixed.
In addition, there was confusion between how to handle the custom name, comments, and a background color properties, making it impossible at times to set these properties. These properties are now all set immediately upon change (i.e. no commit is required) which resolves both the crash and the confusion.
R8619: The “About…” menu item can no longer be removed from user menus - When no “About…” menu item is found, OS X inserts its own generic version. Consequently, removing “About…” from the user menu is now prohibited.
In addition, it is noted that the “Check for Updates” command is included when a new user is created, but is not retroactively added to existing users. Collection designers should either add this command to their user menus, or instruct users to close existing collections in order to access it from the basic menu set. Note also that if “Check for Updates” is placed anywhere other than in the application menu, the user is incompatible with Classic.
R8624: Clicking ‘cancel’ while deleting data from multiple unused fields no longer triggers a 7602 error - When deleting more than one unused field that still contains data, a dialog asks the user to confirm the data loss for each field. if the user clicked the ‘Cancel’ button for any of these dialogs, Helix would eventually crash with a 7602 error. This bug is fixed.
R8632: Applying structure no longer allows Autosave to interfere - Applying structure to a collection could result in damage if an autosave occurred during the process. Helix now defers autosave until until the process is completed.
R8636: Creating a Quick Entry view no longer resets the field formatting - If a flag type field is formatted as a checkbox or radio button at the field icon level, creating a Quick Entry view would reset the field format to plain text. This has been fixed.
R8642: Dragging a fixed point field or abacus to a rectangle now correctly sets the format - When dragging a fixed point icon into a new data rectangle, the formatting information was not being correctly copied. If the designer subsequently checked the “use custom display” property before setting any custom attributes, the improper information would become trapped in the rectangle. This was most evident when attempting to change the number of decimal places displayed.
R8644: Duplicating a label containing a large picture no longer leads to a crash - When a label rectangle containing a large picture was duplicated, the picture was moved to the new rectangle, leaving the original empty, and setting the stage for an eventual crash. Now the picture stays in the original and the new label rectangle is empty.
R8656: Double clicking a socket of picture datatype no longer crashes - Attempting to open a tile socket (to enter a constant) that is expecting picture data no longer crashes. In addition, other tiles in the abacus that were mis-identified as containing picture data (as indicated by a blue background) no longer crash when double clicked.
R8666: Formatting multiple custom labels simultaneously now processes each in turn - Attempting to set the ‘Custom labels’ property for multiple data rectangles at the same time was leading to a 7602 error. This has been fixed. Note that when setting custom labels for multiple rectangles, the dialog is presented once for each rectangle. Since there is no visual clue as to which rectangle is being defined by any given dialog, this is of limited usefulness.
R8674: Configuring multiple post operations is no longer allowed - It was possible to select more than one post icon and then click the “Post Operations” button in the Inspector, but this would result in an immediate crash. Helix now disables that button when more than one post icon is selected.
R8742: Crash when closing an abacus with relation and list open - Since 6.2b21 (Helix RADE Preliminary Release 21) closing an abacus editor window while both the editor for the relation the abacus is in and a view containing a command rectangle whose sequence starts with “Select All Rows” was open would result in a crash. This has been fixed.

New in Helix RADE 6.2.2 Build 5995 (Jan 7, 2014)

R6834: Helix applications are now ‘code signed’ Helix products are now identified as “from a recognized developer” (i.e: we paid Apple some money) so the workaround for installing and launching in OS X 10.8 and later is no longer needed.
 In addition, Helix Server no longer requires that you respond to a dialog to “accept incoming connections” to get through the built-in OS X firewall.
R7544: Dragging a document from a view to the Finder now works as a “copy to volume” command  
R8496: Tabbing to a field now scroll the window to show it properly When tabbing in a view, the view would not scroll into place when a field that was not visible on screen was tabbed into. Now it does unless the vertical and/or horizontal scroll bars are turned off. In that case, Helix will only auto-scroll in a direction that is allowed by the scroll bars. 
In addition, when scrolling to the top/left, Helix now scrolls the view as far as possible while still ensuring that the rectangle is fully visible in the window. This ensures that a label for the selected rectangle is shown. 
R8519: Leaving the “Personalize” field empty no longer prevents the registration button from activating When entering a serial number and key, the Register button was not being enabled unless the “Personalize” field was filled in. Helix now allows the “Personalize” field to remain empty when registering the key. 
R6783: Improved Debugging Tools A number of improvements have been added to Helix to enable debugging issues in a production environment:
The User Access Log can now log specific data actions. Aside from their main purpose (additional user tracking) these additional tracking tools are useful for debugging data handling issues. See R6783: User Access Log Enhancements for more details.
The multi-threading switches have been moved from the HMTT resource to preferences. See R8485: Multi-Threading control moved from resource to preference for more details.
All Helix products can now send error messages to the system.log file that is part of OS X. Enabling the HxWriteDebugData preference activates this capability. Primarily this is only of use with ‘special’ builds that have specific debugging hooks enabled. Enabling this setting is of little use unless you are working directly with QSA ToolWorks’ technical support department to debug an issue.
Helix Client and Server now have the ability to generate a log of every ‘message’ exchanged between them. Enabling the HxWriteDebugFile preference capture this message exchange in a file on the desktop named
Helix_AS_Server_Debug (or Helix_AS_Client_Debug for Client). Warning: These debug files grow rapidly, easily exceeding 1GB per hour on a moderately busy network. They can also severely impact performance on a busy network. Do not turn this preference on unless you are working directly with QSA ToolWorks’ technical support department to debug an issue. Unsolicited debug files will be rejected.
R6783: User Access Log Enhancements The useraccess.log can now log specific data actions. Aside from their secondary purpose as debugging aids, these new logging action provide the ability to create a general audit trail.
The specific actions that can be logged are:
HxAccessLogAdd: Log the relation name and record ID of newly created records.
HxAccessLogDelete: Log the relation name and record ID of deleted records.
HxAccessLogReplace: Log the relation name and record ID of updated (replaced) records.
HxAccessLogPost: Log the beginning and ending of post actions by type (add, delete, replace, export, print), along with the relation name and record ID of affected records.
HxAccessLogLock: Log the relation name and record ID of records locked, along with an internal locking key. Also log the unlocking of those records.
Each entry also logs the ‘Seat#’ of the Client that generated the action, making it possible to identify exactly which user was involved. (Apple event accesses are logged as ‘-1’.) 
In addition to the events noted above, Helix RADE and Engine can also log the following:
HxAccessLogSequence: Log the beginning and ending of a sequence.
HxAccessLogSequenceStep: Log each step of a sequence.
The Helix Preference Editor has been updated to provide an easy method for turning these on and off. 
R8485: Multi-Threading control moved from resource to preference In prior versions of Helix, the ability to disable multi-threading for specific actions was controlled through the HMTT resource. These settings have been moved to the preferences file. 
By default, the ability to create multiple threads for various actions is enabled, and disabling one or more threads is only logical when troubleshooting specific issues. 
The specific multi-threading preferences that can be disabled are:
HxServerThreadAdd: Adding new records
HxServerThreadDelete: Deleting records
HxServerThreadReplace: Replacing existing records
HxServerThreadPostOnExport: Posting during a data export
HxServerThreadPostOnDemand: Posting on demand (Post All, Find and Post All, Post Selection)
HxServerThreadPostOnPrint: Posting during printing
HxServerThreadExportAllLock: Record locking prior to Export All, Export Selection
HxServerThreadExportOneLock: Record locking prior to Export Form
HxServerThreadPrintAllLock: Record locking prior to Print All, Find and Print All
HxServerThreadPrintOneLock: Record locking prior to Print Form
These threads are not wholly mutually exclusive. To prevent data change collisions, certain threads will wait if another within its group is already processing records. For troubleshooting purposes, it may be best to start by turning all threads off, activating them one by one to confirm whether threading is affecting your application. 
The Helix Preference Editor has been updated to provide an easy method for turning these on and off. 
Bug Fixes and Improvements:
R7340: Escape key now triggers the ‘Cancel’ button in many more dialogs Many dialogs containing a ‘Cancel’ button required a mouse click on the Cancel button, when the Escape key should have also triggered the cancel action. Every corner of the code may not have been caught, but most, if not all, dialogs now properly respond to the Escape key. It should be noted that in Inspector editor dialogs, the Cancel and OK buttons exist in in a layer ‘above’ the rest of the controls, and that it is necessary to hold the Control key down while pressing Escape (or Enter) to trigger those buttons. This is a separate issue that we hope to address in the future. 
R7700: Power Query modifications are more thorough about updating open views Modifying a compound Power Query where the second item is a text search would fail in some cases if the view was open. This is fixed. 
R7903: Modifying a record on a cold form that contains undefined or defaulted fields that are used to query the form no longer causes index corruption This bug required four specific conditions to strike:
The form is cold.
A record is being show that has an undefined field with a default value.
The form has a query that relies on the undefined/defaulted value.
There is an index on the field that is undefined.
If all of these conditions were true, the index built on the undefined field would be corrupted if the record was deleted. (The deleted record was not removed from the index, an error which Helix Utility would catch and fix.) 
R8484/R8509: Structure Check dialog no longer opens and does not go away If a non-manual save (autosave, AppleScript) found minor maintenance to perform, it would sometimes open the structure check progress dialog, but fail to close it. This has been fixed. 
R8503: Cold forms no longer grow each time a collection is opened Each time a collection was closed with a cold form open on screen, reopening the collection would cause the view to open with extra height added to the window. Eventually it would reach from the top to bottom of the screen, unless the user manually resized the view. This bug could also be seen when switching users. 
Helix now properly restores the size and location of the view when it is closed, and is more aware of the presence of the toolbar in order to keep the top of the window in the same location when restoring it. 
R8504: Quick Query shows when there are no queryable fields A cold form will no longer show an empty quick query in the toolbar if there are only inert rectangles on a view. Also, if you cancel a quick query that was open via a dialog (not the toolbar) the toolbar now stays open (so the refresh button isn’t lost). 
R8529: Graphics in command rectangles now scale properly when ‘Scale Picture’ is on A graphic pasted into a command rectangle would appear as scaled on the template, but it was not being scaled on the view. This is fixed. 
R8545: Editing records on a cold form via double click no longer corrupts indexes Working from a list that is a cold form that alows editing of data by double clicking to open an entry view could result in index corruption if the entry view is left open between modifications. That is, if you double clicked a record, edited that record, then re-activated the list without closing the entry view, and double clicked a different record, editing that second record would result in index corruption. This has been fixed. 
R8547: Helix no longer crashes when closing a modified cold form query without activating its window If a cold form query is modified, put into the background, and the user then clicks its red ‘close’ button, Helix no longer crashes. 
R8557: Option-clicking to close a view with unsaved changes no longer asks twice If a view has unsaved changes and the user option-clicks on the close box (to “close all”) the “save changes before…” dialog is presented. If the user chooses “Cancel” in that dialog, the dialog no longer comes back a second time. 
R8564: Crash when applying logfile containing byte stream If a collection crashed and the session log file contained information about a large document, picture, or text stream, Helix could crash when attempting to apply the session log, resulting in the loss of all data in that session log. This has been fixed. 
R8572: Printing a cold form list with content derived from use/from tiles now prints correctly When a cold form list contains data that is dependent on a use ◊ from ◊ tile, the acquired data for the last record on the list would be printed in every record. This has been fixed. 
R8592: The contents of a field are no longer automatically selected when a data change is received If the cursor is in a field that has not yet been edited and a data change (that triggers a redraw) is received, the field was becoming selected. This made it possible to inadvertently delete data in a busy Client/Server environment. 
Helix no longer selects the field when a data change occurs. 
Note: This change has the negative effect of causing the field to not be selected when editing records in series, where the field is supposed to be pre-selected after the view advances to the next record — after the replace is done. (This is noted in R8594 in techdb, and we hope to address this in a future release.) 
Preferences are now thread-safe You can now edit preferences while Helix is running and they will adjust immediately when Helix is reactivated. 
An extra ampersand has been removed from the Help menu The item in Helix‘s Help menu that was labeled “&Help” is now simply “Help” 
Miscellaneous AppleScript fixes Removed references from the AppleScript dictionary about the deprecated ability to get a color as integer. Use the get index for color command instead. 
The background color and frame color properties now consistently use the codes Tbci and Toci, respectively. 
The “close collection” command no longer requires Design Mode authentication (via the ‘login’ command). Authentication is not required to Quit the application, so allowing the collection to be closed that way is logical. 
R7649/R8083: Inspector cell selection improvements
When editing a property in the Inspector, pressing the Return key stores the change, but was losing track of the selection, so that a subsequent Tab key focused on the first property in the Inspector.
Helix RADE now retains the selection location: pressing Return again re-enters edit mode, and pressing Tab selects the next selectable property in the Inspector.
Full Keyboard Access is partially implemented in the Inspector: you can now change Inspector checkboxes via the keyboard. (You can also set a popup menu, but you can not tab out of that property when Full Keyboard Access is enabled).
R8194: It is no longer possible to add a user to its own menus
Dragging a user icon from the Element Panel or collection window to its own editor window is no longer allowed.
When adding items to a user menu via AppleScript, an error is returned when this is attempted.
R8302: A crash while tabbing through a template has been resolved
The crash happened when attempting to tab out of a rectangle that was improperly nested. (A situation created by a prior release.) Helix now tabs to the page rectangle instead of the group box they are clearly within.
If you encounter this situation, any change to the template will cause the rectangles to “renest” and thereby fix the problem. So: if you see that tabbing from a rectangle does not move to the place it should, just resize any rectangle and
commit the template. The problem is now corrected.
R8333: Editing a label rectangle no longer reverts to black text
It should be noted that a label rectangle actually has two different ways to handle font data. If the contents of the label rectangle are all of a single font/size of black text, the font settings are stored in a simple font record that can be changed via the “Font” property in the Inspector. However, if a label rectangle uses color, or contains mixed font/size data, the data is stored in a more complex record that can not be edited from the Inspector. In this case, you must use the Font and Color panels to make the change. (Select the text and choose “Show Fonts” from the Edit menu.)
R8365: An odd dragging bug in collection/relation windows has been resolved
In view by list mode, a click and drag in the area of a collection or relation window where no icons are shown was resulting in the selection of every icon from the currently selected one to the top being selected. That is fixed.
R8457: Zoom box now works logically for sequence icons
Clicking the zoom box in a sequence editor now resizes the height of the window so there is enough space to add one additional step to the sequence. The width is not affected.
R8457: Zoom box now works better for abacus icons
Clicking the zoom box in an abacus was not leaving enough space at the bottom of the window to add a new tile to the bottom. Now it does.
R8483: It is no longer possible to set the location of a window so it is under the menu bar
It was previously possible to use the Inspector or AppleScript to position a window so that its title bar was under the main menu bar, making it impossible to drag it with the mouse. This is fixed.
R8492: Abacus Expression Language (AEL) crashes when expression is wrong
Forgetting the outermost brackets in an expression would trigger a crash. Helix now return an error, as that is an invalid expression.
R8506: Changing an abacus in way that invalidates an index selected for a view triggers crash
If an abacus used in an index was changed in a way that made it ineligible for indexing (e.g. adding a today tile) committing the abacus would trigger a crash if the index was specified as the default or current index for a view. This has been fixed.
R8521: Switching users while in Design Mode now updates username tile for open views
The internal tracking of the Username tile is more efficient, and should no longer be confused by switching users, or by Apple event access to data.
Note: The current Username is now shown in the Collection Information window. For Helix Client this information is shown in the Server Information window. This may seem counterintuitive, but it was the only readily available place to display this information.
R8528: Icon usage in a Power Query is now properly shown
In some situations, icons used in a Power Query would not show that usage in the “Where Used” window. That is fixed.
Inspector once again updates location values in real time
In earlier builds of Helix RADE, moving or resizing a window while the location properties were visible in the Inspector would show those values updating in real-time. This ceased to function at some point, but is now restored.
View properties for ‘Cold Form’ or ‘Show Page Boundaries’ now update instantly on change
Changing the ‘Cold Form’ or ‘Show Page Boundaries’ property in the Inspector was not updating the view if it was open. Now they do.
Note that properties that affect the fundamentals of the window — the title bar, resize box, scroll bars, etc. — require that the view be closed and reopened to show the change, and therefore are not instantly updated so the user does not have to respond to ‘save changes before closing’ dialogs. The collection designer who wants to see those changes immediately must manually close/reopen the view.
Resizing windows works better
If a window’s calculated height required to show all data is greater than 32767 pixels, clicking the zoom button now zooms it to the height of the display.

New in Helix RADE 6.1.9 (Aug 4, 2011)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.6 (Jul 28, 2010)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.4 (Sep 16, 2009)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.3 (May 6, 2009)

Helix RADE Classic 6.1.3 is a bug fix release. Helix RADE 6.1.3 is still a Classic application, but the bug fixes make working on collections (whether for use with the Mac OS X native Helix products or not) a more productive experience.
Helix RADE Classic 6.1.3 is a free update for owners of Helix RADE 6.1.x. Helix RADE 6.1.x serial number/enablement key combinations can be used with this release; Older enablement keys can not. Visit our web store or contact QSA ToolWorks for information on purchasing this upgrade.
If you already own Helix RADE 6.1.x, upgrading is simple: just download Helix RADE 6.1.3 and install it using your Helix RADE 6.1.x serial number/enablement key. Then delete your older copy of Helix RADE 6.1.x.
Feature Enhancements:
Clean Up command enhanced - A new option has been added to the Clean Up command, enabling it to gather all icons together in the visible part of the workspace. See the release notes for details.
Static Enter available in User Editor - The Static Enter command can now be placed on User Mode menus.
User Editor enhancements - Two changes have been made to the User Editor:
A 'lost feature' in the User menu editor was found and revived: Helix has always supported pressing Command-Tab to create a new empty menu bar item. But since the Command-Tab key command is used to switch applications in OS 9 and later, that key command is not passed through to Helix. The key command is now Command-Enter or Command-Return.
The starter slot that is shown when creating a new menu in the User menu editor has been enlarged.
User Mode bypass - When opening a collection, you can now go directly to Design Mode (bypassing User Mode) by holding down the Option key.
Show Clipboard command key equivalent - The Show Clipboard command now has a Design Mode command key equivalent: CMD-K.
Bug Fixes:
Editing label rectangle containing a picture could corrupt database
A longstanding bug was discovered in Helix that could result in database corruption when editing a label rectangle containing a picture over 32K by double clicking the rectangle to access the settings dialog.
Fixing the actual bug would take more time than we want to devote to Classic Helix now, so to avoid the bug, Helix now displays a dialog intructing you to use menu items to make the desired attribute changes. (You can also cut the picture from the rectangle, open the dialog, make the desired changed, close the dialog, and repaste the picture, if preferred.)
Reports with over 32,766 records failed to display all records (BZ976)
A bug that caused Helix RADE to fail to show all of the records in a report (list) when there were more than 32,766 records in the report is fixed.
Option 1 post to cold form with defaulted field corrupts index (BZ900)
A rare combination of circumstances, an indexed field with a default value on a cold form using Option 1 posting to change the field value from undefined to the default value, resulted in corruption to the index built on that field. This bug is fixed.
Fixed Point posting trigger multiplied by 100 (BZ1034)
A bug that caused conditional sequences to run 100 times the expected value when a fixed point value is used as the trigger count and that same value is posted to another relation and that same value is displayed on the view has been fixed.
Eszett (ß) character (0xA7) is a word character in German
When the keyword separator table was updated, the German eszett character was inadvertently left out of the word character list.
Helix customers who use the eszett character in text stored in keyword fields need to rebuild all keyword indexes or keyword search results will be inaccurate.
More information on keywords, along with a utility for managing HKWT resources, is found in this technote.
Keyword Index progress dialog
The Keyword Index progress dialog would sometimes fail to show the name of the keyword field for which the index was being built. This was fixed in Helix Server OS X 6.0, but the fix had never been applied to Helix RADE until now.
Command key for Shade Defaults changed
The Design Mode command key equivalent for Shade Defaults is changed to CMD-D to avoid the conflict with OS X’s use of CMD-OPT-D for Show/Hide Dock.
Crash when Pressing Arrow Keys
Opening a collection or relation window in View by Icon mode, clicking in the gray area of the icon well, and pressing an arrow key would cause a crash. This has been fixed.
Likewise, pressing an arrow key in a window in View by Name or View by Kind mode in a window had no icons would cause a crash. This has also been fixed.
Registration dialog issues (BZ904)
The registration dialog would not allow the user to switch to another program, copy data, switch back and paste that new data into a field. This is fixed.

Helix RADE Changelog

What's new in Helix RADE 7.0.1 Build 6184

New in Helix RADE 6.2.4 Build 6052 (Jun 19, 2014)

New in Helix RADE 6.2.3 Build 6033 (Apr 26, 2014)

New in Helix RADE 6.2.2 Build 5995 (Jan 7, 2014)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.9 (Aug 4, 2011)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.6 (Jul 28, 2010)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.4 (Sep 16, 2009)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.3 (May 6, 2009)

New in Helix RADE 6.1.2 (Jul 2, 2008)