In this update, we addressed a few issues, updated the CEF libraries, and added new functions:

- It matters which sequence you choose if you create a master-detail form using the wizards. If the detail is created before the master, you will get errors while running the application. You had to correct that in the original situation by recreating or fiddling with the project source code. In the new version, you have two new functions in the toolbar of the component tree to allow components to shift up or down in the creation order. An additional advantage is that if you have the master detail panels in the wrong order, you can simply shift the panel up or down, depending on your selection, to get the sequence on the form designer right. Previously, you had to select the panel and drag it up or down, which worked, but choosing the correct one could be difficult as there are many objects.

- The field validation will be triggered if you delete a record from the wizard-generated crud form. This does not cause issues with data entered through that panel (required fields will always have a value), but if you have current invalidated data, this can cause issues. In this version, the validation is disabled when you select a record to be deleted.

To install for existing users, open the License Manager and select the incremental updates page. All the modules that require upgrading will be pre-selected. Click install. This should be a short proces.

What's next?

The upcoming release will focus on PHP 8.4, which will be released in a few weeks. We will start testing PHsPeed, and if no issues are found, we expect to release it in early January 2025. Currently, we run an RC 2 PHP version and a beta of XDebug without problems so far. But we need to verify everything as soon as the finals are released.

We also started developing PHsPeed version 4.0. This version will focus on simplifying and modernizing the IDE:

• A new editor. This editor allows for a tiny screen for faster access and a better function extraction display, and the form will be undockable for multi-screen development.
• A new forms designer and component palette. The tab system became overloaded with components, making design more complicated than necessary. The new system will have a dropdown on component type. The designer will improve on stability. Also, this form is undockable for multi-screen development.
• Full upgrade on CEF / Chromium browser.

Happy coding!

This upgrade addresses several issues that are fixed. You will find these on the forum and in the old bug tracker. There are also some minor tweaks to improve the usability.

We are also happy to announce that we started testing the next formal release, which supports PHP 8.4, and XDebug, which came out in a beta release for PHP 8.4. We haven't found major issues, but it's for sure that PHP 8.4 and XDebug need some work. But we expect to release this version in early January 2025.

If you have PHsPeed installed, then upgrading is easy: start PHsPeed config (the license module), select incremental updates, and click install. The upgrade is pretty big this time, so it requires a bit of patience.

Happy coding.!

This version brings all the goodies that we reported in the previous posts. Enjoy!

Of course, we are already working on version 3.4.

One of the significant questions is when we will support HTTPS from within our IDE. It was not our highest priority, as you can always deploy your application under https. However, some users argued that HTTP is not mainstream anymore and that security departments demanded that they should work under HTTPS, and HTTP was about to become forbidden. As we listen to our customer's needs, we have been working to achieve that. The current status is that 3.4 will allow HTTPS from within the IDE. There is a catch, though.

PHsPeed uses a self-signing certificate running under localhost. Many browsers will not allow that due to more restrictive security measures. We solved that in our embedded Chromium browser by automatically accepting this certificate. In Chrome, you can also do this, but the browser will signal that the connection is not safe (due to the self-signed certificate). You might need to set up a certificate of your own, mainly if you use another browser. I.e., a let's encrypt certificate.

Another important question was about the restrictions that Chrome is implementing that will prevent the use of externally stored javascript and other libraries and its consequences for applications that are developed with PHsPeed. If you use PHsPeed as it comes out of the box, then you are safe. PHsPeed uses its own library that you need to deploy on your server. You can find all that is necessary in the _libs folder. However, it is possible to configure PHsPeed to use external references. An advantage would be that you always run the latest version of the libraries, but the main disadvantage until now has been that new versions could introduce issues. We are having an internal discussion on whether you should deprecate the use of embedding externally hosted libraries. Please let us know your thoughts. If the steps of Chrome are being followed by other parties (probably Edge, and maybe Firefox or Brave), then it is very likely that we will deprecate this feature of PHsPeed. For users that rely on this, there is no need to worry as you can easily switch over to locally hosted libs by setting just a parameter and uploading the runtime.

Fixes and enhancements for version 3.4 are currently:

• PHPMailer: automatic cleaning of addresses and attachments
• added move to clipboard autoloader
• reorganised UI to support lower-resolution screens
• relocated functions to make the IDE less overwhelming
• added edit functions for Project attachments
• added php autoloader to the component file
• run button added pull down to enable/disable debug mode and shortcuts
• bugfix: redir in non-ajax situations will now work as expected
• Added documentation entry in the project tree to support SQL (ddl) and (readme) rtf files. It is now possible to deploy your application with the appropriate documentation and DDL (PHsPeed uses this for some of the sample applications)
• bugfix: debugger stops itself after a network error. Prior the IDE would become unresponsive.
• support for HTTPS in the IDE

Happy coding!