[Stripes] [ANN] Stripes first release: 0.2.1

[Francis Brosnan Blazquez]

          ###############################################
          # Stripes barcode toolkit release note: 0.2.1 #
          ###############################################

Advanced Software Production Line is proud to announce the first
Stripes release: a toolkit to produce barcodes.

Stripes has been created to produce barcodes using a command line tool
and a graphical user interface, but also comes with a library that
could be used to enable your applications to produce barcodes. 

Stripes is based on Cairo Graphics, which enables it to produce the
output in PDF, PNG and Postscript, with a high quality output.

At this moment the toolkit is being used by Advanced Software
Production Line, to provide barcode production features to client
applications produced using Af-Arch framework.

Resources
~~~~~~~~~
   Stripes homepage
   [ http://stripes.aspl.es ]

   Af-Arch Homepage
   [ http://fact.aspl.es ]

   Advanced Software Production Line, S.L.
   [ http://www.aspl.es ]

   Cairo Graphics
   [ http://www.cairographics.org ]


This release in short
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  First initial release. Basic features implemented, library, command
  line and a graphical tool. Initial doc infrastructure created.

Changes from previous release 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* [fix] first fully working version for strips that creates code 39
  barcodes that are readable using the barcode gun. GREAT!!!

* [fix] Commiting version with support to print the text encoded along
  with the barcode generated.

* [new] Added new options to configure bar heights, border zone around
  the bar code, disable text and font size.

* [fix] added support to the tool to create output in postcript and
  PDF.

* [fix] Making text to be append to be properly calculated to allocate
  the enough canvas to draw it.

* [new] Commiting a fully implemented graphical tool (Gtk#) to created
  codebars using the stripes command line. Great!!! (Requires mono).

* [fix] Integrated new graphical tool into the compilation process,
  added Gtk# and mono tool detection to compile the graphical tool if
  both are available.

* [fix] Fixed bug at the codebar generation while placing the font text 
  at the bottom of the codebar (it wasn't properly calculated).


* [fix] Commited README file including an litle introduction,
  instructions and license instruction.

* [new] Added complete support to the library, command line and
  graphical tool to rotate barcodes produced.

* [fix] added documentation to the project. Moved readme into the
  manual.

* [fix] module updates due to documentation.

* [fix] Added support to place an alternative text to the bar code
  generated encoding the content providing but placing the alternative
  text. Useful when a code is required to be generated but a more
  human readable explanation is required. Updated lib, tool and gui.

* [fix] making stripes gui tool to launch the codebar generation if
  the user press enter on every Entry element.

* [new] Added support to stripes to produce barcodes that don't have a
  white background, making it transparent. Included support in the
  library, the command line and the gui.

* [new] Commiting first web proposal for the stripes project.

* [fix] last changes.

* [fix] commiting gui application.

* [fix] Commited changes to stripes to be usable on windows. Added a
  workaround to make stripes to generate barcodes as equal as on
  linux. Added a flag __STRIPES_ON_WINDOWS__ which adds a code that
  reduce the canvas allocated by 33 units. (Commited stripes.nsi,
  makefiles and stripes.bat).

* [fix] making Makefile.win on stripes tool directory to produce a
  stripes.exe and a win-stripes.exe. Both are the same tool, but the
  second do not launch the black box on each execution.

* [fix] finished all works required to make stripes available through
  an installer.  Making Makefile.win from src directory to create an
  stripes.exe and an win-stripes.exe, being the second one the same
  binary but without lanching the black box.

* [fix] Making stripes gen library to check that the code received
  (each item) is really supported by the code selected.

* [fix] Stripes gui to execute the command with the content using \"
  rather than ' which seems to cause some problems under windows
  platform.

* [fix] Making Properties.Command to return "stripes" as default
  command if nothing is configured. At the same step, the "stripes"
  default command is configured on the current user settings.

* [fix] Making Properties class to detect the Location entry changes to
  configure stripes command to be used.

* [fix] Fixed Quit and Quit2 glade callbacks. Seems mono-1.1.17 series
doesn't
  like to mix DeleteEventArgs and EventArgs, event knowing first extends
  the second.


About Advanced Software Production Line, S.L.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Advanced Software Production Line is leading the Af-Arch project: a
  complete framework to develop distributed application to manage
  enterprise process.

  Af-Arch project uses Stripes to support its barcodes requirements
  while exchanging data between nodes.

  Advanced Software Production Line also provides GNU/Linux support
  and consulting services to enable organization to introduce
  GNU/Linux inside its process, making other platforms to interact
  with GNU/Linux.

  Contact us, using English or Spanish, to get commercial support
  and/or XML based development services.

  You can reach us:

       http://www.aspl.es - info at aspl.es

  We hope Axl Library help you. Enjoy Axl Library!

--
Francis Brosnan Blázquez           - francis at aspl.es
Advanced Software Production Line  - http://www.aspl.es
9th Nov 2006, Madrid (Spain)