Release note of v1.1.9 tree

[Yutaka Sawada]

[ Batch processing ]

 A user writes his own command script files (auto_c.cmd and auto_v.cmd). "auto_c.cmd" will be started after creation, and "auto_v.cmd" after verification or repair. Save the script files in "save" folder of MultiPar.

 There are three tasks on queue;
1) Start the saved script file.
2) Notify to user by flash window and beep sound.
3) Close MultiPar GUI.
Note, GUI will not wait the end of scripting.

 Batch processing will be started, only when the process end without error or cancel. Thus, the script cannot be used for recovery from fatal error. For example, if the free space of a HDD is not enough, creation will be failed by error, and batch processing is not started. Note for repair, lack of available blocks does not cause error. Thus, the script can be used to download more blocks until complete repair. About Monitor feature, verify/repair process is not complete, while the monitoring keeps active. Then, batch processing is started only when all source files are complete with enable Monitor option.

 Some data are given to script as parameters;
1) Full path of a specified recovery file.
2) Full path of a base directory of source files.
3) Result of process (only for verification and repair).


[ Sanitize filename ]

 When a recovery file contains invalid or abnormal filenames for Windows OS, they are sanitized automatically. They are invalid characters (control code or "\:*?"<>|"), sequential "/", ". " at last, "/" at top, directory traverse, device name, etc. The renaming rule is similar to QuickPar, but a bit different because MultiPar supports sub-directory. If someone find a problem or inconvenience about this feature, please report with log. (the changed filenames are listed on log file.)

 Caution, if filenames are sanitized, re-created recovery files will be non-compatible with an original recovery file. Re-create by pushing "Extra" button will make a different set of recovery volumes. In this case, you must re-create all recovery files, instead of adding extra files.


[ Changes from 1.1.9.3 to 1.1.9.4 ]

* GUI update
 A bug which prevented to set "Memory usage = 87%" was fixed.
 A bug which disabled Drag&Drop on Cretae window was fixed.
 A bug which erased version number on About window was fixed.
 A bug which hided error message in status area on Creating/Verify window was fixed.
 A bug which prevented to delete results of verification, even if you set "Not used" was fixed.

 Monitor feature will become inactive, when a user push Escape-key while monitoring.
 Only when Shell Extension DLL's install path is same as the MultiPar GUI, the check-box on Option window becomes checked.
 The length of comment field on Create window is limited to 127 characters.
 GUI will delete file-list for many source files, only when the creation ends successfully.
 When a PAR file is opened or F5-key is pushed, verification will be done newly, even if there is a previous result.
 If "Repair automatically" on Option window is checked, repair will be started after verification only when there are enough blocks.
 Auto-Repair is available for PAR1, and Monitor is available for PAR1 & SFV & MD5 files.
 The minimum height of Create/Verify window become lower to enlarge file-list.

 It is possible to open related folders at Option window.
 Help button was replaced by Reset button at Option window.
 Typing F1-key shows HTML help, when Option window is shown, too.
 Batch processing is available after creation/verification/repair.
 File-list on Verify window tries to keep previous position after re-verify/repair.

* Client update
 The max length of comment becomes 127 in all clients.
 SFV/MD5 client shows comment of first line.
 PAR1 client shows comments at reapir.
 For creation, PAR clients does not delete file-list for many source files, after it reads data from.
 For creation, filename and path are checked more strictly.
 For verification/repair, an invalid filename on Windows OS is sanitized automatically.
 In output, UNIX style directory separator "/" is replaced to Windows style "\".
 Clients can support very long path upto around 1000 characters. (GUI has 256 limit still.)
 Skipping verification feature is disabled by default setting in PAR2/3 client.


[ Hash value ]

MultiPar1194.7z
MD5 : 42154872E649F6544F27EA5339F17DD1
SHA-1 : E4C88A4A248D6DA8A6A54833B740B3DDEC8BFA1D

MultiPar1194_setup.exe
MD5 : C79BB8E5C3333E4E2DAF677B69F8B510
SHA-1 : 9DFB9E0E1F669683A925FB983F842D282CA06189

[BobFX]

That's an impressive release, thanks!

[Yutaka Sawada]

 If there is no serious problem, next version will be the last release of v1.1.9 tree.

[ Font is selectable ]

 You can change font and size at Option window. Basically, you may select by OS's setting. The font which is used for "Desktop Icon" is shown in the list. The OS's default font which is used for "Property-Sheet" is shown in the list, too. If you want to set another font, you need to write the font name directly in MultiPar.ini.

 GUI window's text area is designed for variable pitch font. If some text by your favorite font is not shown properly on a window, let me know the font and send screen-shot.

[ Changes from 1.1.9.4 to 1.1.9.5 ]

* GUI update
 On Create window, the value of specified redundancy is updated, even when source files are not selected yet.
 When no recovery files will be created, Create button does not show Creating window.
 Before creating recovery files, a drive's free space is checked.
 Listed languages on Option window are sorted by Language ID order.
 File splitting is disabled, when there is sub-directory or folder.
 When a window size is larger than desktop's work area, maxmize button on the window's title bar becomes disabled.
 Font name and size can be specified at Option window.

* Client update
 Unicode version of Win32API is used by default.


[ Hash value ]

MultiPar1195.7z
MD5 : 9DAFDA8D3ED5730F03B57413DC3108E4
SHA-1 : 9E63B2DBD848F9F40AFC9D023A8CE90E4706739C

MultiPar1195_setup.exe
MD5 : 85F684F172BE74DE26F4480207FC3EFE
SHA-1 : 24C2DDB1A23241672586E4915FF59C666CC61FE9

[Ghalen177]

[BUG REPORT] since the change from 1.1.9.3 > 1.1.9.5 I can no longer create PARs across the local area network. In the format of \\Computer\Share\Folder as it give an error about finding the resource. I had to go back to 1.1.9.3 PAR2j and PAR3j files when it worked fine. It appears to still work when the Network Share is mapped to a drive letter but won't see the files in the share path unless it's mapped. This behavior exists in both 1.1.9.4 and 1.1.9.5 PAR2j and PAR3j files. I Have not tested this with PAR1j.

[GerHobbelt]

[BUG REPORT] since the change from 1.1.9.3 > 1.1.9.5 I can no longer create PARs across the local area network. etc.

Second that; I intended to report the very same issue as Ghalen177 - he was faster.

Tested on a LAN with mixed machines (W7-64, XP64); using the GUI to verify and create PAR2 files gives an error about the PAR2 files being invalid, while QuickPar processes them just fine. From this location, it looks like MultiPar (or par2j - haven't checked the underlying cmdline tools separately here) can't handle UNC paths. (\\machine\dir1\dir2\...)

When you point at the same location using 'subst' (which still works on Win7/64, but on a per-user basis :) ) so the path now looks like Z:\dir1\dir2\... MultiPar does process the PAR2 files there without any hitch.

[Yutaka Sawada]

from Ghalen177 and GerHobbelt

I can no longer create PARs across the local area network.

 Thank you for bug report. Because it did not check the path at v1.1.9.3 or before, it happened to create a invalid PAR2 file, when a user spplied wrong/odd/strange file path. I added a checking routine for user supplied path at v1.1.9.4. It detect invalid path, change path from relative to absolute, shorten redundant construction, and convert some characters etc. Though I don't check source code yet, those UNC path might be refused as invalid path. I will fix this problem at next version.

 I did not think that someone create PAR2 files over network. I never tested on a network drive myself, as my PC is not connected to any network. Does MultiPar GUI itself work well to select files on other PC over network ? When "base directory" is a folder on other PC, how is it shown on GUI ? If you want to help and test with sample version, please send screen-shot of GUI, and log file of creation (error message of par2j.exe). If you have no time to test, just post log file on this forum as attachment.

[GerHobbelt]

Surely willing to test this; after all it's quite important for me to have this work without a hitch as it's something I often do.

Here are the screenshots from a testrun using 1.1.9.5.



Verifying a PAR2 file set available on a network drive, i.e. on a UNC path

This is what double-clicking a PAR2 file on a network share, or rather: on a UNC path, does for you: MultiPar barfs a hairball (we'll see later on that it's par2j which barfs):



The network location of the double-clicked PAR2 file is here shown in Win7 Explorer:



When trying to verify the PAR2 file using the commandline par2j you get this:




Trying to create a a PAR2 file on a network share

Looks like the MultiPar UI itself can cope very well with UNC paths (it should, if it uses standard windows programming practices):



Notice the '\\Gonzalez\' machine name in the UNC paths shown in the screenshot; the accessed share is called 'G' and the subdirectory picked through the Browse For Folder dialog is called 'music'.


--

BTW: you can test network ('UNC') paths when you only have a single computer: in the screenshot below Win7/64 explorer is showing 'shared drives' C,D and E on the local computer (which is called 'Fifi'); all you need to do is right-click on the drive in explorer and turn on sharing -- I share the drives as a whole and give their share name the same single character name as their drive letter for easy identification -- the result of which is shown in the same screenshot: the dialog at the right side showing the Drive Properties 'Sharing' tab after things have been set up).

Any local drives / directories, which have not been explicitly 'shared' that way, don't show up in the Network section of Windows Explorer: that's why the various 'USB_xx'-named drives of FIFI don't show up in the Network overview for FIFI, while a (shared) network printer (HP LaserJet) does show up.

[Yutaka Sawada]

 Thank you for information. I tried to public a shared folder on a network of single PC, but it does not works for my PC (Windows 2000). Even my PC name is not shown in workgroup tree. When I used my PC in a company several year ago, I thought that network shared drive/printer worked. At that time, Windows XP might be a network server, and my PC was a client. I am not sure what setting is wrong.

 Anyway I modified some part of par2j.exe, and it works with UNC path now. I attach the new version here for test. If you have time, please test it for confirmation. In output of par2j.exe, path of "Base Directory" and "Recovery File" are shown. They should be same as what is shown on MultiPar GUI (and Windows Explorer).

[Yutaka Sawada]

 This is the last release of v1.1.9 tree. Both ZIP archive version and Installer version are downloadable from official download page.

 Though I came up with some new idea for PAR3, the details of format are not finish yet. PAR3 recovery data will be independent from filename. (same recovery data is usable, even after filename is changed.) File information; file size, filenames, and checksums may be compressed. It may detect (partially) same files in a recovery set. But I am not sure the idea can be implemented without problem. Because there are many changes, the task is long and hard, I am enough lazy to delay the progression, hehe. The early release of v1.2.0 tree may not support creation of PAR3, if I cannot complete the new specifications.


[ Changes from 1.1.9.5 to 1.1.9.6 ]

* GUI update
 An overflow bug in efficiency rate for very large source files was fixed.
 Repair button on Verify window becomes enabled, only when files are incomplete.
 When input focus is moved without pushing a button, border of default button is set properly.
 On Option window, "(packet repetition) upto 1 time" becomes "(packet repetition is) not used".
 Option window becomes a little higher.

* Client update
 A bug which prevent to specify UNC path was fixed.


[ Hash value ]

MultiPar119.zip
MD5 : 21596F1896FC2CDB64FA33A407E9D855
SHA-1 : 7443818731A10EFA96A4D99CCF6816EB6B437C17

MultiPar119_setup.exe
MD5 : 680796013DC20B70917E8C02D4040669
SHA-1 : 8FEF8A6B48B6340838CE17AAAF13EFADEAC4F2D3

[Omega Weapon]

It would help if you attached the release ;)