Hi everybody, today I’m pleased to announce the release of Shaxpir 4.1. This is the twentieth public release since we launched the Shaxpir beta launch, more than two years ago!

Today’s release fixes a handful of small bugs and introduces a few convenient enhancements, for users of both Shaxpir 4: Everyone and Shaxpir 4: Pro, which you can read more about below.

It’s available now, on the Shaxpir Downloads page.

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Enhancements in this version:

• Custom Typefaces: Users with Shaxpir 4: Pro subscriptions can now choose from among nine different custom typefaces to use for their writing, separately from choosing their own custom themes. Previously, each typeface was only available within a specific theme, but now the themes and typefaces can be selected independently of each other.

• Improved Sync-Status: The sync-status toolbar button now shows pending picture uploads and download counts, alongside the time elapsed since last sync.

• Toolbar Buttons for SpellCheck & Sentiment Analysis: SpellCheck and Sentiment Analysis have been part of Shaxpir since version 3.0, but now those features are easier to find and activate, with their own toolbar buttons.

• Picture Download Spinners: While waiting for pictures to download, Shaxpir now shows a spinner, instead of displaying a broken-link icon. Each picture automatically appears when its download completes.

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Bugs fixed in this version:

• Fixed Bogus Insecurity Warning: Shaxpir always uses strong SSL encryption to communicate with our server, but the previous version of Shaxpir sometimes showed a warning message on the login screen about insecure connections. We’ve fixed the warning message, to accurately reflect the secure nature of Shaxpir’s login connections, so you can rest assured that your connection is always safe.

• Fixed Corrupt EPUB Export: The previous version created corrupt ePub export files whenever the user chose to omit the Table of Contents from the export. This version exports a correct ePub file, even when no Table of Contents is included.

• Fixed Unreliable Styles Menu: In the previous release, the Styles toolbar menu sometimes misbehaved, not appearing even after multiple clicks. We’ve fixed it in this version so that it shows up every time.

• Custom Theme Tweaks: The previous version used a few awkward color color combinations (foreground same as background, etc) in the new set of Custom Themes. This version uses better color contrast in those cases.

• Fixed Disappearing Delete Button: In the previous release, the delete button (with a trash-can icon) sometimes disappeared from the upper-right corner of all Chapters and Notes. This version restores the button to its rightful place.

• Fixed Comments Reappearing After Deletion: In the previous release, margin comments would sometimes reappear after being deleted. This version fixes the bug, so that comments are correctly deleted.

• Fixed Confusing Billing Message: The previous version sometimes showed a confusing message on the Billing panel, in some places saying the user is subscribed to Shaxpir 4: Everyone and in another place saying the user is subscribed to Shaxpir 4: Pro. This version resolves the confusion, with an improved message.

• Fixed Crash on First Launch (Macintosh): Previous versions of Shaxpir have suffered from a bug in the PKG installer causing the application to crash on first launch after installation, necessitating complete uninstall-then-reinstall. We fixed this by switching to a DMG installer, which is simpler and more reliable.

• Fixed Broken Logo on Software-Update Screen: Whenever there’s a new version of Shaxpir available, the login screen downloads the new version before letting you login. Unfortunately, the last release has a broken image link for the logo. It also fails to open the user’s Downloads folder on Macintosh when the installer finishes downloading. Oops. Also, unfortunately, you’ll see both of those problems today if you’re updating Shaxpir from within the app (because, obviously, it won’t be fixed until after you update). But it will all look great and work correctly the next time we release an update!

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Get started writing your own novel now, with Shaxpir 4: Everyone, our unique writing platform for novelists. It’s completely free, for everyone. Forever.