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Release notes for Pipe 1.3

• Variables Support: You can now define variables which are passed to your scripts through the environment. Variable types include Text, Password (hidden text), Boolean (simple on/off checkbox), and Enumeration (pop-up list for selecting from predefined values). Variable values can be modified through the "Info" drawer in the script editor window, in the script browser, and also when invoking Pipe as a service.
• Line numbers: You can now display line numbers for your script source code by choosing “Edit » Line Numbers”. It is also possible to jump to a specific line by choosing “Edit » Find » Go to Line”. Line numbers are a global setting, and not saved individually for each script.
• Flat script files: You can select “Pipe Script (flattened)” as an alternative format when saving your scripts. Flat script files consist of only a single binary file, which makes it easier to transfer them over e-mail or to download them from the web.
• Support file handling: Preserving the contents of the Support Files directory has turned out to be a major hassle, and it was difficult to add new files (you had to navigate inside the script bundle). The new flat file format would also make it impossible to add files into the bundle, since there is no bundle.
  Pipe 1.3 introduces a new GUI for managing support files, reachable from the script editor via “Script » Support Files”. You can drag files from the Finder into this window, and Pipe will copy the files into its script bundle for you. Pipe will also keep a reference to the original file, and update its copy whenever the original changes. This means that you no longer have to edit the files inside the script bundle, which solves another dozen problems.
  
  In short, you can now:
  
  1. Drag a file into the Support Files window.
  2. Edit the file in its original location.
  3. Pipe will update its copy whenever you run the script.
  
  This also works with flat files (Pipe stores the file contents inside the flat file).
  Due to this change, copying files directly (with the Finder) into the script bundle is no longer supported.
• Custom temporary file names for scripts: You can set a preferred file name for your script (under “Script » Settings”). This name is used when running the script. Pipe also appends the file extension of this name to the temporary file for external editing, so the editor will (hopefully) choose the correct syntax highlighting for you.
• Script Arguments toolbar item: There is a new (optional) toolbar item for editing script arguments. You can add it via the "Customize Toolbar" option.
• Automatic software update: Pipe can now check for updates automatically, once a day. No personal data is transmitted to our servers. Pipe simply requests this file and analyzes its contents:
  http://www.kcore.de/software/pipe/softwareupdate.plist
  If a new version is found, Pipe displays a notification message. The automatic update check can be disabled in the General Preferences.
• Default startup action: There is now a preference for the default action to take when Pipe is started or re-opened (e.g. by clicking on its Dock icon). Pipe can either open an untitled script (the new default starting with 1.3) or it can open the script browser (as it did in 1.2 and earlier).
  This change is intended to help new users who are trying out Pipe for the first time: upon first launch, the script browser is always empty and not very useful. We want to avoid confusing new users, so we open an untitled script instead, where the user can immediately start writing code and test things.
  Old-time users can of course change this preference back to get the familiar script browser again. :-)
• Improved Temporary File Handling: Pipe 1.3 provides a new environment variable PIPE_TEMP_PATH, which points to a temporary working directory for your script. Pipe guarantees that this directory is empty when your script launches, and that its contents will be deleted when your script terminates.
• Pipe now includes a built-in template for Java programs.
• There is now a checkbox under Script > Settings where you can exclude a script from the Services menu.
• Pipe comes with a new “Encrypt - OpenSSL” sample script, which allows data encryption and decryption. The password and algorithm can be set via variables.
• Pipe now discards image output if a script was terminated prematurely due to output size limits, time limits, or user abort.
• Numerous other bug fixes and optimizations.

Older release notes

• 1.3.4
• 1.3.3
• 1.3.2
• 1.3.1
• 1.3
• 1.2.1
• 1.2
• 1.1