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MAL Client OS X

Just an update…

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OWLS! OWLS! OWLS!!!!

The last week as a very busy week since the Spring Semester is now in full force and I need to work my butt off this time around. Well, not so many hard courses, but I still need to do better than last semester… On top of it, I have been working on some coding projects, closely related to Anime/Japanese media related services such as that dreaded MyAnimeList and Melative. This is a main reason I wasn’t blogging as much plus I had homework to do, and with a test coming up, time will be strained a bit, but I won’t stop blogging for a whole month… I can promise that.

First off, the Unofficial MAL API is now fixed and I thank gcassonnet for fixing it and chuyeow for making this program possible. Now, I have spent two to three hours future proofing the program to prevent a program like this happening and what came out of it is 1.0.0 Final. This means that you will notice that the update and add dialogs loading faster than before since it’s not retrieving information from the internet for the status. Other improves include the password being saved on the Keychain, which is a more secure way to storing the password instead of having it saved in the preference files.

However, even though I fixed the client so it works fully, but I cannot promise that it will stop the delayed updating and other stuff… That is the website problem, and if you don’t like it… I suggest switching to a different service. For the time being, I won’t actively develop this since there is nothing to add at the moment and wait for manga support to be added either on Unofficial MAL API or the official one. Now… enjoy my fruits from my labor and have a client that doesn’t suck that much (yes, I’m looking at you iMAL):
Download 1.0.0 Final

Also, I have released Melative Library 0.9.0 Beta, on the same day yesterday. Melative Library have evolved just in about 1 month and now I have implemented 90% of the features. Unlike Melative Micro which is a microblogging client with basic library functions, Melative Library can manage the whole library without needing to the website (compared to MAL, where you need to use the website to use some/most of the functions). Now the program is at beta and is stable for everyday use and at this cycle, I won’t be adding that many features in this cycle. If you considering to switch to Melative or have an account, try this out. (and it’s crossplatform)
Download 0.9 Beta

So, that is out of the way, I can finally have some time to blog about more anime. Also, don’t forget to vote Shiori for the International Saimoe League! 

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MAL Client OS X is now Release Candidate

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Is it done yet?

MAL Client OS X is almost at it’s final release after all those beta builds. Well, it took me a few days to improve on the program after New Years and I have made significant progress.  Here they are:

Interface Improvements

MAL Client OS X now complies to the Apple Human Interface Guidelines, so there should really be no complaints that it doesn’t feel like a Mac OS X Application. With this, the interface got some refinements, but nothing major have changed. For example, the Preferences window now gives a sliding effect when you click on a different preference page, normal on every Mac application. Error messages now are shown as sheets opposed to separate modal message boxes. Export List dialog now shows a progress window.

Also, there are changes to the Melative updating window, becoming a separate window and allowing you to microblog more without needing to open the window again. When you are finished, just close the window.

Alot of Bug Fixes

I know, the program isn’t perfect, but the program is mostly stable.

With some changes of the Unofficial MAL API, it does not report any total episode number whatsoever, it caused the program to throw errors. This has been addressed in this Release Candidate build and the last along with some other bugs that were in the program like incorrect information showing when there is no internet connection, Manga list lookup crashing when incorrect username is loaded, etc. With the Unofficial MAL API changing, one should always check for updates to be sure they get those bug fixes.

Give Feedback

Without your feedback, I won’t know what should be improved. Feedback and bug reports give developers the suggestions they need to improve their programs. If you are using the program and like it, you should join the MAL Client OS X club and voice your feedback and submit your bug reports there.

Download MAL Client OS X 1.0.0b2 Release Candidate 2

Note: If you already have the program, don’t waste your time downloading the disk image. You can install this update by going to the MAL Client OS X window and click “Check for Updates…” This will initiate Sparkle to check for the latest update and install it for you. For Windows/Linux users, you can download MAL Lite here. 

Some things before Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is tomorrow, so I won’t likely make any updates on this blog, but before I leave for a day, I will make the following updates reguarding the Karaoke Contest and also MAL Client OS X and MAL Lite:

Karaoke Contest

I have made a change earlier that no effects or any alterations of the recording may be used. You may only use effects to reduce any grainy/background noise, but anything but that may not be used. I will be posting further details after I come back from Thanksgiving and hopefully start it on Monday.

MAL Client OS X and MAL Lite

I have made several changes to the MAL updating program for Mac OS X and also the lightweight, minimalist solution on Windows and Linux. MAL Client OS X 0.3.6 now features a new interface similar to the one on Finder. If used on Tiger and Panther, the interface will default to a sheet metal feel. Manga list lookup is added, but when you double click on a item, you can view the information about it on the browser. No manga updating is added yet since there isn’t enough API to implement it yet. Lastly, Melative updating can be done without updating your MAL status. You can make a update by going to the anime information window and clicking “Post Melative Update” on the toolbar.

I apologize that I can’t get the help updated and the Sparkle appcast updated since the FTP is down. Once it comes up, I will post the Sparkle update. For now, you need to download the disk image.

Download MAL Client OS X 0.3.6

For MAL Lite 1.1.2, I restored the full list featured on MAL Client OS X and added a tray icon. Download 1.1.2

I hope you a nice and joyful Thanksgiving… I will resume blogging on Friday after shopping on Black Friday and hopefully cover Kobato Episode 7 and Seitokai no Ichizon Episode 8. 

MAL Client OS X 0.3.4 and MAL Updater OS X 1.2b GUI Released

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What are you doing?
What are you doing?

MAL Client OS X 0.3.4 is now released with new features allowing you to search for information on AniDB and Tokyotosho and sharing of a title to a email with the URL to the MAL Page… just add a message and send. Minor changes made to melative updating to reflect the changes made to the APIs.

Major change is that MAL Updater OS X GUI is now included with the MAL Client OS X distribution. This is a simple frontend to TakakoShimizu’s MAL Updater OS X, which is a command line script programmed in Ruby that allows Mac users to scrobble their Anime from MPlayer, Quicktime and VLC. The drawback is that the setup script does not always work and you cannot turn it off unless you get rid of the launchd file which will disable the automatic scrobbling. There is a better way to this issue.

MAL Updater OS X GUI is just a frontend to this mess and allows you to save your login info securely which will be used for automatically generating the script needed for MAL Updater OS X when scrobbling is turned on. When you close or stop scrobbling, the script is deleted so people won’t easily find your MAL password. The GUI is a lightweight program and only uses around 10 MB of RAM. Note that you still need Growl installed to find out what is scrobbled or you have to resort to the log files to find out.

The only drawback is that MAL Updater OS X script is outdated by .1 (since 1.3 isn’t available for download), so I can only include 1.2 for the time being. Once 1.3 is posted again or if he decides to update it, I will add it to the package and also make some improvements to the GUI.

The source code for the MAL Updater OS X GUI is located in the malclientosx SVN at Google Code.

In addition, a Linux version of MAL Lite is now available for download here (1.7 MB). GTK+ 2 is required to run the program and will work with any Linux distro. To run it, unzip and double click on “MALLite”

Download MAL Client OS X 0.3.4 with MAL Updater OS X GUI (9 MB, Universal Binary) 

Blog Updates – Blog Hits 4,000 Visitors

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I'm not cosplaying!
I'm not cosplaying!

As I thought, the whole month of October went by so fast and I hope you had a enjoyable Halloween, although I don’t take part in it since it’s childish in my opinion. However, it have been nearly a month since we ditched Google Analytics since it’s so inaccurate since there are some extensions like Noscript which blocks all Javascript, which means Google does not keep track of those visitors who have javascript disabled… and also iPhones and iPod touches and I have decided to switch over to StatPress Reloaded which is 10x better than Google Analytics… Google Analytics can die in a grave…

This month alone, this blog generated 22181 pageviews and 4013 visitors.. which isn’t bad at all… and hope that it will grow as time goes on when I keep updating the blog.

Another update I want to mention is that MAL Client OS X 0.3.2 Beta is now out. This features better melative updating support, melative updating when adding new titles, some improvements over catching invalid updates (like having a status of completed when the title is still airing) and more secure password storing, meaning the password is encrypted. If you haven’t already and have a Mac, Download the Client or if you have it already, just use the “Check for Updates” function to get the update automatically.

I know there is another MAL Client called iMAL, but it’s very buggy and have alot of memory leaks. Also, the interface is a bit messy and most wouldn’t care about automatic scrobbling anyways, unless you are lazy. MAL Client OS X is already making life easier since you don’t need to go to MyAnimeList and update it from there. In addition, MAL Client OS X makes it easier to update both MAL and melative, so I don’t see the point of iMAL really. If you don’t already have a melative account, go get one… NOW!

Next month is coming around the corner, so mid-season reports will be coming soon for Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu Purity and Kobato… so far so good. Also, one last thing… Make sure you turn back the clocks one hour at 2 AM tomorrow since time changes to standard time.

Update: For Windows users, I have released a trimmed down version called MAL Lite. This release will not be supported and contains updating feature and melative updating. I won’t be supporting this release since I do not use Windows that much anymore besides from games. If you are interested, download  a copy (2 MB, includes source code). 

MAL Client OS X 0.3 Goes Beta

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mybottle
It have been nearly 2 weeks since I started this project and made alot of progress. Now after I cleaned up the source code after adding some new features, I felt that now MAL Client OS X is ready for Beta since I haven’t experienced any severe bugs with it.

MAL Client OS X now contains a killer feature, Melative updating. If you don’t know what is Melative, it’s Entertainment combined with Twitter, allowing you to microblog your thoughts while you are watching something.

MAL Client OS X have basic Melative updating support, which will automatically post your status on the stream and library on that particular series. There are some titles that are on MAL and not on Melative, but they are pretty quick in adding new information on that title.

After updating, you will see this on your stream, for example:

SafariThe update will be from MAL Client OS X, indicating that the program made that update automatically. To enable this feature, type your Melative Username and Password under Preferences > Misc and it will create a token (Melative Usernames and Passwords are not saved, but stored in the token which is encrypted). Check Enable Melative Updates and the program will post the updates when you update MyAnimeList status. Note that this feature isn’t perfected yet since the Melative API documentation is incomplete at the moment, but I hope that I will make it so that comments can also be posted with the status update on Melative pretty soon.

Now MAL Client OS X truly pwns iMAL and MALUpdater now!

Other fixes includes:
– Login now uses HTTP code (200 will be success) instead of a total hackjob I did. Now it should spit out the error message if somethings wrong with the connection.
– Fixed the Remove Series Button on the Anime Lookup window. It should only show up when the series is on your list
– List is now sorted depending on your status on your Anime Series
– Source Code cleanup

Now this being at Beta stage, I highly suggest that you give your feedback so I can improve the program and also report bugs you may see in the program along with your configuration at the MAL Client OS X Club. Now with MAL Client OS X, you can take control of your MAL List and not let it take control of you!

Download MAL Client OS X 0.3 (6.3 MB, DMG)
If you have it installed, use the “Check for Updates” on the MAL Client OSX Menu to install the new update automatically. 

MAL Client OS X – 0.2 Released

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I have been working on this MAL client for Mac OS X with my free time after college and I was able to add basic update features and also along with it, the ability to add and delete titles from your list. Note that the buttons for some reason disable itself after adding/deleting series… I’m currently looking into that and there will be a fix in a bugfix release.

How does this work?

At this very moment, you need to double click on a title on your list to access the add/delete/update functions. I’m planning to add a feature that you don’t have to load the information without having to do this in 0.3 of MAL Client
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - Anime Information
This is what it will look like if the title is on your list.

You will see three new options, Add, Update and Delete. Add function is only available when a title is not on your list. Update and delete features are available when the title is on your list. In addition to that, your status will appear under the Anime information.

If you decide you want to update your status, you can press the Update Information on the toolbar. This will popup
0.2-updatestatus

From there, you can update your status, watched episodes and rating of the title. Press Update and the information will be updated.

If you decide you don’t want a title on your list, you can remove it. Just press the “Remove Series” button and you will see this prompt.
delete
After confirming, it will notify you that the series you decide to remove is removed from your list.

I released this build so people can test and give their feedback on the new features. I know it’s buggy, but I will be ironing out the bugs soon and a bugfix release build will be released hopefully this weekend.

Anyways, Here is the release notes on MAL Client OS X 0.2

Version 0.2

– Added Add/Update/Delete Series function. Now you can update your status using this program
– Login screen dialog now changed to modal, Progress shown while trying to log in
– Search now shows the correct search count
– Rearranged to Anime Information Window

Known Issues

– “Your List” may not refresh with the updated information after adding/updating/removing a series. This is fixed already in the last minute bugfix build. Redownload to get fix.
– Pictures in Anime Information may not load properly
– Performing a Sparkle update under Snow Leopard causes the program to crash (remember not to enable automatic updates and perform them manually.)
– Buttons do not enable after a Add or Remove function have been done. – Fixed in a last-minute bugfix… Redownload to get fix

If you have already download 0.2, please redownload it so you will be able to use Sparkle Updates. Forgot to add the DSA Signature required for Sparkle to update.
Download MAL Client OS X 0.2 (6.17 MB, Universal Binary)

Update: MAL Client OS X is now on Google Code 

MAL Client OS X – First Native Client for MyAnimeList on Mac OS X Released

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Success tastes sweet!
Success tastes sweet!

After I complained about not being a graphical client for MyAnimeList on Mac OS X, I took the time to get my hands dirty and make one myself… Of course my Visual Basic programing skills are a bit rusty for not programing for 3-4 years since I switched to a Mac, but I sorta got the grasp of it.

MAL Client OS X at this state can only load your Anime List, search titles (Anime only since the API does not work with Manga yet.) and lookup information from your list and search results. Having these basic features took nearly 3 days to complete since I need to code the login procedure with the API, obtaining the data from the API and popularize the listboxes for Search and Your List and get the program to read the Anime Information from the XML and obtain the title picture. Since most of the basic features are put in place already, it won’t take me as long to add the updating features (meaning edit a series status or add a new series) and separate “your list” to watching, completed, on hold, dropped, and plan sections instead of having it in one list box.

Remember, MAL Client OS X is open source and licensed under the GNU Public License v3… all you need is the RealBasic IDE, which costs money ($69 Academic Personal Version is the bare minimum to open the project) … but if you have it already, feel free to make improvements. The only problem that there is no SVN at the moment, but that will change later.

If you want to test the first version out, download a copy (Size: 5.9 MB). This will work on Mac OS X 10.3 or higher (I haven’t tested 10.3, but 10.4 or higher to be safe.).

Update: I fixed the search problem when the results don’t clear out after a new search is done. Also, this fix also adds the ability to refresh your list from the menu and the shortcut key, cmd+R. 

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