December 27th, 1999

[4:45 PM] TextSOAP Updated With Several New Features by Staff Unmarked Software has released an update to textSOAP, their text cleaning utility. The new version, 2.5, includes a wealth of new features and other enhancements. According to unmarked Software: textSOAP continues to take advantage of Apple technologies. Mac OS 9 users will be happy to note that they can have any user on the system use a registered textSOAP. Version 2.5 comes with extensive AppleScript support, allowing users to create AppleScripts to clean text. Creating simpler cleaners is now easier with the new custom cleaner editor included as part of the textSOAP application. The cleaning "engine" now automatically recognizes new cleaners placed in the "cleaners" folder. And, for users with older systems, the Appearance Manager will be installed for them. textSOAP 2.5 is customizable to user's cleaning habits. In the application's preferences, users can choose the cleaners that show up with each type of tool. If a user doesn't need the "Bullets" cleaner in BBEdit, they can remove it from their lists or reorder the list to put their most used cleaners at the top of menus and palettes. There are four different customizable lists: BBEdit, quickPalette, Eudora, and Contextual Menus. New users will appreciate the rewritten documentation that comes in self-reading documents (launchable applications) with an index. The new documentation discusses each of the major features and plug-ins. There is also a document which explains building an AppleScript cleaner. A sample of both an AppleScript cleaner and textSOAP's custom cleaners are provided. Finally, the new release includes several enhancements and fixes to existing cleaners. textSOAP 2.5 requires: 68020, 68040 / PowerPC System 7.5 and later are officially supported (including Mac OS 9), although it can still be installed under System 7.1 The update is US$5 to registered users, or 5 <word of mouth>'s (meaning that you can use the product for free if you show 5 friends who have not seen it. The full version is priced at US$20. You can get more information on textSOAP at the company's web site. The Mac Observer Spin: The <word of mouth>'s pricing for the upgrade is a pretty cool idea. So many users take updates for granted and don't realize the immense amount of work that goes into these updates. unmarked Software