MarsEdit 5.1: Mastodon Support is Here!

November 29th, 2023

MarsEdit 5.1 is now available on the MarsEdit site and on the Mac App Store.

This is a substantial update to MarsEdit 5, featuring all new support for the Mastodon publishing system, which is used to host a large number of independently operated Twitter-like microblogging services.

The addition of Mastodon support is a natural extension of the new Micropost Panel which was introduced in MarsEdit 5. I’ve prioritized the feedback of many users and added the ability to resize, add images, view character count, and more. I will continue to improve upon this in future updates.

While I was working on the improvements above, I spotted the opportunity to improve upon the Tumblr support a bit as well. Previously only one image could be added to a Tumblr photo post. That limit has now been removed. At this point it’s not clear what the future of Tumblr is exactly, but I hope this change will be welcomed by MarsEdit users who continue to enjoy posting on that platform.

Here is the complete list of changes for this release:

  • New: Mastodon Support! Download, edit and publish to any Mastodon service
  • Microposting panel enhancements
    • Resizable and movable
    • Supports attaching photos
    • Shows character count
    • Now shows the blog’s own icon as a popup menu for selecting target blog
    • Fixed a crash when sharing Wordle results
  • Micro.blog specific improvements
    • Updated character limits to match current standards
    • Fix a bug that prevented posts with blockquotes from reliably showing the title field
  • Tumblr-specific improvements
    • Can now add multiple photos in Photo posts
    • Refreshing a blog no longer re-downloads all previously downloaded photos
  • Other Improvements
    • Performance improvements when sorting a large number of blog posts with content-derived titles
    • Improve design, typography, and wording of New Blog interface
    • HEIC images are now auto-converted to JPEG instead of PNG
    • HTML Entities are now ignored by syntax-highlighting and live spell checking
    • Changes to Custom Field preferences are now reflected immediately in affected post windows
    • Enclosure editor now checks URL for file type and size immediately after pasting in
    • Revise the Safari extension toolbar icon to look consistent with other extension icons
    • Fix a bug that sometimes caused spell checking to fail in Plain Text editing mode
    • Fix a bug in which changes to plain text font did not affect markup tags
    • Fix a crash that could occur when selecting missing items in the Media Manager
    • Fix a crash that could occur when undoing text changes in the Plain Text editor
    • Fix a crash that could occur when selecting missing items in the Media Manager

If you enjoy MarsEdit, please consider writing a review or rating the app on the Mac App Store, spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter, and of course, writing about the app on your own blog! Thanks for your support.

macOS 14 Sonoma Compatibility: Everything Works!

September 26th, 2023

I have been running beta versions of the latest update to macOS for the past several months, and any issues with Red Sweater apps have been ironed out in that time. Enjoy all of Red Sweater’s apps on macOS Sonoma!

Black Ink 2.2.8: Improved NYT Authentication and Calendar Picker

September 22nd, 2023

Black Ink 2.2.8 is now available on the Black Ink site and on the Mac App Store.

This update addresses an issue where a user with a valid New York Times account but not access to the premium games subscription, would be repeatedly prompted to enter their password. Now, Black Ink will detect that the login succeeded but that the user doesn’t have access to the crossword, and inform them.

The calendar picker has also been updated to address a couple small usability issues.

Complete list of changes for this release:

  • Improvements to NYT authentication process
  • Calendar picker favors the current/latest puzzle date if a new puzzle has arrived since last opening
  • Calendar picker allows selection of valid puzzle days from the next/previous month

If you enjoy Black Ink, please consider writing a review or rating the app on the Mac App Store, and spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter! Thanks for your support.

MarsEdit 5.1b2: Mastodon Beta Progress

August 25th, 2023

MarsEdit 5.1b2 is now available for folks who want to try the under-development support for posting and editing entries on Mastodon microblogs.

Unfortunately the first beta had a bug that prevents it from recognizing newer beta releases, so if you downloaded 5.1b1, you’ll need to manually download MarsEdit 5.1b2 and replace your older copy. Future updates should be delivered as expected via the app’s built-in updating system.

Click Here to Download MarsEdit 5.1b2

This update includes a number of fixes which are generally applicable and not unique to Mastodon. Here’s the complete list of changes:

  • Fix software update mechanism to update automatically to future betas
  • HTML Entities are now syntax-highlighted and ignored for live spell checking
  • Improve design, typography, and wording of New Blog interface
  • Improve appearance of the image attachments area when “always show scroll bar” is enabled
  • Fix a bug that sometimes caused spell checking to fail in Plain Text editing mode
  • Changes to Custom Field preferences are now reflected immediately in affected post windows

If you enjoy MarsEdit, please consider writing a review or rating the app on the Mac App Store, spreading the word on Facebook or Twitter, and of course, writing about the app on your own blog! Thanks for your support.j