Version History

WorshipSession is constantly revised
to improve it and rectify problems.
If you find a bug in WorshipSession,
Please tell us.

V2.22 - April 2004

This “Version History” page was created to support the release
of our v2.22 mini-CD evaluation edition in April 2004,
and consequently doesn’t show any version history prior to that time.

Major release V3.0 - June 2004

New features in this version:

Song index file separated into multiple ‘one-per-folder’ indexes
HTML Background Pane allows songs over graphics or video
‘In-place’ editing of songs for last-minute corrections
Improved image viewer with pan and zoom
Printing support for songs and Bible passages
Re-edit Bible references and Mesages
Support for multiple instances of ‘dynamic content’ HTML files
Background Sound – improved functionality

Tidy-ups:

Style sheets moved from /utils/style into /style folder
Mouse support removed from Session display
F3 function (full screen / windowed) switch removed
Re-organised A4, B2 and C1 Utilities

We have incremented the major WorshipSession version number, mostly because of the change from a single index file containing all Items, to a distributed ‘one per folder’ style of indexing. The new style provides a cleaner upgrade route, and enables users to organise their songs more efficiently. At the same time we have moved the stylesheets out of /utils into their own /style folder. The /utils folder now contains only ‘system’ files that are not normally edited by the user.

We have moved the ‘load Session from backup folder’ Utility from A4 to B2, where it naturally goes hand-in-hand with the existing ‘copy Session to backup folder’ Utility.

From June 2004, the ‘Download’ facility on the WorshipSession server will be moved over to the new indexing style. We recommend that all our users should upgrade to the latest version (upgrading is free). If you are evaluating WorshipSession, you can freely download the latest version from the download page.

Version 3.02 - June 2004

We have added a feature that enables a really effective ‘slide show’. WorshipSession can now show all the pictures in a digital camera directly, removing the need to copy the images locally, or add them to the Session individually. Slide advance is manual or automatic.

The same feature also enables the ‘Background Sound’ replay of a whole folder of audio files.

Version 3.03 - June 2004

Improved support for non-UK characters in songs - as well as letters modified with accent, tilde, or circumflex, the WorshipSession Utilities now support non-latin alphabets, such as Greek, Hebrew, and Chinese.

Version 3.04 - June 2004

Fixed a bug in launching the PowerPoint viewer, where the PowerPoint Item has been added to the index using the ‘A2’ Utility.

Version 3.05 - August 2004

Fixed a bug in ‘Re-edit reference’, which would incorrectly cause the current Item to move down the Session.

Version 3.10 - October 2004

Following a major re-work, WorshipSession is now able to display guitar chords along with the song words, when used in a dual-screen configuration. The vast majority of the 1000+ songs supplied with the system now include chords. In dual-screen mode, the Status Line also shows more useful information for musicians, and a transpose function allows the chords to be shown in different keys.

The system is backward-compatible, and continues to work as before in single-screen mode.

The Utilities have been re-indexed and are now divided into four sections A..D.

Version 3.11 - December 2004

The “C1” (Filters) Utility has been re-worked, and offers improved facilities for selecting songs. It is now possible to filter and re-sort the displayed list of songs, making it easier to find the songs you need for your worship services.

Also various minor tweaks:

Selection of Bible passages now offers key-by-key help (dual screen only)
Bug fixed in “Duplicate song” (A3 Utility)
Fixed obscure problem caused by very short songs (A1 Utility)
Re-formatted the Utilities headers to use less screen space

Version 3.13 - December 2004

The ActiveX control that supports pedal operation has been changed so that the “next” and “prev” keypresses are generated on the release of the pedal, rather than when it is initially pressed. The change has been prompted by the forthcoming release of our “keyboard-top pedal” for pianists, and because it was previously too difficult to select the Feature using the pedal.

In the new version, a brief press and release produces “next” or “prev”, and if you hold the bottom or top of the pedal, it produces “End” or “Shift-Home”. If you press the top and bottom together, it produces “F”.

The new scheme has distinct advantages:

It’s much easier to display the Feature.
When selecting “Home” or “End” there’s no “double take” effect, where the screen scrolls, then scrolls some more.
It’s now possible to remove a displayed Feature and leave the screen black, by generating “End”. Previously this would have also generated “next”, and advanced to the next song.

Existing pedal users may need to learn some re-adjustment to operate the new pedal. We hope that the “keyboard-top buttons” for pianists (and preachers) will be released early in 2005.

Bugs fixed in v3.13:

The “Star out” feature (which enables individual song verses to be temporarily hidden) was broken during the dual-screen work in v3.10, and fixed in this release.

The “Slide show” feature was also broken in v3.10, and fixed in this release.

Version 3.18 - March 2005

We have added a Gradient Wipe transition between Items, so that WorshipSession fades from one Item to the next, rather than the usual “black screen” style. The transition also applies to “black” (B key), and “Feature” (F key).

The Gradient Wipe transition is slick, but it’s not to everyone’s taste, and it requires quite a fast computer, so it is disabled by default. See “House style” in the User Guide for details.

Also in the area of style, V3.18 generates outlining or 3D effects for the text of songs and Bible passages, making the text more readable when used with photo or video backgrounds. The 3D effects are “fully tweakable” and are described in the “House style” section of the User Guide.

Other improvements:

F1 shows a small help panel, giving the major WorshipSession keypresses.
F11 (browse to file) shows file attributes in the status line to aid selection.
Video and Background Sound can be looped with the L key.
Video replay can be paused / stopped with the V key.
Soundtracks (e.g. MIDI files) can be added to any song.
Analogue “Gas Gauge” display shows progress of Background Sound replay.
F11 can now be used with .exe and .scr (executable) files.
“Star out” feature is re-worked - much easier to use!
Global Styles can be loaded “on the fly” without re-starting WorshipSession.
Interactive HTML files can be synchronised to audio replay.

Bugs fixed in v3.18:

PowerPoint integration (in single screen mode) was messed up in v3.13.
Full-screen image display focus problem, and other minor tweaks
Slideshow with audio, startup time improved.
F (Feature) key occasionally didn’t work correctly.

Version 3.22 - April 2005

This version includes a “Notices Loop” facility, for displaying a series of announcements, one after the other. The Loop management is powerful and flexible, and can be used for much more than just notices. V3.22 (Download and auto-update) includes example loops so you can see how it works. Also see “All about Loops” in the User Guide.

We have re-worked the facility for loading Session files. In V3.22, the “live” Session is stored immediately in the filename you select, rather than in ws_session.xml as in previous versions. You can open old Session files using Ctrl-F4. If you don’t need to maintain more than one Session file concurently, this change is not important to you, and makes no difference to your day-to-day operation.

Other improvements:

Bible versions are now stored in a two-level folder structure, like /Bible/NIV rather than bible-NIV as before. This makes the top-level folder tidier when you have a lot of Bible versions installed. You can continue to use the old structure, but you can’t “mix and match” - if you add any new Bible versions, you will need to move all your Bible files into the new structure.
The song browser "D1" Utility includes a new text search, in addition to its other filters. Now you can filter three ways - for example to show only traditional hymns, that are in D or E, and include the word “redeem”.
The “Gas Gauge” display added in v3.18, is now clickable, allowing “jump to position” for both audio and video replay.

Bugs fixed in v3.22:

Full-screen Flash (swf) files were previously not correctly handled in dual-screen setups.
"A2" Utility - could not Add Items. Broken in v3.18, fixed in this release.

Version 3.30 - Sept 2005

We have added a DVD Replay facility, including the option to play a single chapter, or a timed extract.

Other improvements:

The Alt Gr key can now be used wherever the Ctrl key is specified. This enhancement specifically supports notebook PCs that don’t have a Ctrl key on the right side of the keyboard - it allows musicians to type keypresses like Ctrl-Enter and Ctrl-PgDn with one hand.
In dual-screen systems, the F3 Key blanks (“masks”) the projected screen, while normal operation continues on the PC screen, so permitting preview for songs etc.
Auto / Manual advance added to Loop function. Also #nextpage command.

Bugs fixed:

.mpeg is now properly recognised as a video file extension (as well as .mpg). Previous versions produced strange results with .mpeg files.
Bug fixed in video replay, which could make WS unresponsive.
Bug fixed in Loop replay with a single-item Loop, which could make WS unresponsive.
Fixed visual problem on Loop replay when used with a Global inter-Item transition.
Bug fixed in ‘Reload old Session’ navigation.
Fixed ‘overide version’ facility for Bible display, which was broken in V3.22.

Version 3.40 - May 2006

New “Grouping” facility

Version V3.40 allows Items in your Session to be “Grouped”, so that they appear together on a single scrolling screen, as if they were a single Item. This facility was designed primarily to support liturgy, but will find many other applications, such as showing a medley of songs, or several Bible verses together.

Using V3.40, liturgy can be assembled from small “chunks” in separate HTML files. No liturgy is supplied with WorshipSession, but it can be freely downloaded from the Internet. The WorshipSession Utilities include a new HTML editor optimised for importing liturgy.

The “Grouping” work represents a major overhaul of WorshipSession, and its effect can be seen in other areas:

Items are loaded faster (i.e. the delay between Items is reduced).
Preview facilities have been added for songs, Bible passages and stand-alone files.
The existing “A1” and “A3” editors have been made more configurable.
“Dynamic content” for Items is now stored in the Session. This enables an HTML Item with dynamic content to be used several times in one Group.
(It is still possible to store Dynamic content on disc.)

Please read the User Guide before using Groups, or the new “E1” HTML Editor.

Other improvements:

Press n to hear the base-note for the current song,
or Shift-N to hear the chord.
Press Ctrl-B to hide and show content on the Background Pane.
In <F11>, press ./ to return to the folder most recently used.
In dual-screen mode, the displayed key of the next Item (displayed on the status line) is now subject to the song’s transposition setting.

Bugs fixed:

Where a song has no copyright details, the first <next> command would previously step over two verses.
Where a Session Item was exported using “B3”, it might previously have been imported with the wrong name.
DVD Player - Comments added to DVD Items could cause malfunction.

Version 3.46 - September 2007

This is a “tidy up” release - we have made a number of small changes since 3.40:

Improvements:

Session file location can be stored in the user registry (enables multi-user usage).
Improved support for widescreen notebooks, where the projector has a different pixel size to the notebook screen.

Bugs fixed:

The note sounded by the N function plays correctly in transposed keys.
Fixed some poor scrolling of Session display.
A work-around has been added for an IE7 bug that caused “permission denied” errors.
Musical keys C# and F# have been re-classified Db and Gb respectively.

Version 3.52 - May 2009

Improvements:

Features on songs can consist of single image files.
Facility to play chords in song for “auto accompaniment”
Background images are automatically applied below, but not above their Session location. This means that if you return to a previous point in the Session, it should look like it did before.
Functional icons are now drawn atop the Session list. Although WorshipSession is designed for keyboard operation, these mouse-operated icons (and the tooltips that go with them) can remind users of the various keypresses. This new facility can be turned off by pressing the G (GUI) key.
Several other aspects of the Session display have been improved, with bigger text, and better user hints for just in time help.
In “Search Song” and “Search Bible”, the previous search results can be restored and re-used.
When adding soundtracks in <A1> and <A3>, music tracks can be previwed.
Various aspects of DVD replay have been improved, especially when running in Vista.