Matrex 1.1: some delays...

The development is terminated, the documentation is upgraded.
Even the changes in the Matrex site are done (FAQ, new videos).

The problem is the final test.
It takes time, and I will not be able to release Matrex 1.1 before the middle of April.

SWT: cell selection in Table

The SWT Table allows only to select rows, not the cells in the rows.
This is a strong limitation for applications that use tables to do something more complex than showing the content of database tables.

In Matrex I needed to import xls (Excel) files and select from them rectangles of cells to add as matrices.
So, I built the TableWithCellSelection class, which allows the user to select rectangles of cells in the table.



It works listening the mouseMove, mouseDown and mouseUp events to keep track of the mouse movements and to change the background of the cells when they are selected.
The class works only for tables that are created with the SWT.FULL_SELECTION and SWT.VIRTUAL styles, which means that the table must be virtual.

Features: Clicking SHIFT together with the left mouse button the selection process restarts from a previously selected cells rectangle.

Limitations: It is not possible to scroll the table during the selection. To be able to select big rectangles you can use the SHIFT key.

Matrex 1.1 status

Matrex 1.1 coding should be finished.
What is missing is testing and documentation update.
The hope is to release it before easter.

More features in Matrex 1.1

The next release of Matrex, 1.1, will also contain the following features:

• use of operators (+,-,*,/,^) in the expression parser. They will be converted respectively in the functions plus, minus, times, divide, pow.
  
  
• import and export of projects from/to zip files. In this way it will be possible for example to archive a project or to send it by mail.
  

New symbol

Matrex got a new symbol, used both for the application icon and for the graphics of its web site.

The symbol should suggest the idea of a matrix, with the word "Matrex" written over it.
It should look more professional than the old falcon symbol, that did not really have so much to do with the main concepts of Matrex.

I made the symbol using OpenOffice.org and GIMP.