Release Notes 1.3.7

Hi, Dygmates

This new version of Bazecor (1.3.7) has many quality-of-life improvements and little features, as well as a TON of bug fixes. It also comes with a new firmware for the Dygma Defy (1.2.0) and the Dygma Raise (1.0.11-beta)

IMPORTANT: When you update the firmware, your layers might not be restored, but don't worry: you can restore a backup from your preferences menu.

What's new in the Defy firmware

We've included a new deep sleep mode that vastly increases battery life once activated. The only caveat is that you need to wake each side of the keyboard independently by pressing any key except the outer columns. You can activate and configure it in the advanced settings of the wireless menu.
You can now force Bluetooth mode while wired. You only need to press the Bluetooth status button. This is really useful if you are using your keyboard wired to your computer and want to switch to another device, like your phone. To go back to wired mode, press the BT pairing key and then the top-left key (usually ESC).
We've also added man-in-the-middle encryption for Bluetooth. A 6-digit password will pop up on your device's screen, and you'll need to type it on your keyboard to connect. This ensures that nobody can hack the connection while it's pairing, which is when it's most vulnerable.
We redesigned the low battery warning so it's far less annoying 😅
For the gamers out there, we've also improved the latency of the Defy by 6ms in all modes. Our averages are 3.4ms for wired, 7.5 for RF and 22ms for BT (on the right side, the left is 17ms). As reference, an Apple Magic keyboard has 39ms over BT, and something gamer like the Logitech 915 Lightspeed has 3.7ms in wired, 4.4ms in RF and 10.7 over BT. And those are not split keyboards like the Defy. That said, we believe we can still improve those numbers, especially over RF and BT.
And we've saved the best for last: we have redesigned the superkeys from the ground up. Now, they are super fast when only using the tap and hold functions; we've added the possibility to use shift to layer on hold; we crushed all the bugs related to modifier combinations; you can combine hold functions from multiple superkeys; and many more little things. There's still a long road ahead, but this is a huge step forward: please try them out, play with the values in the preferences menu and let us know what you think.

What's new in the Raise firmware

We've also added the new Fast Superkeys to the Raise!! Go try them out!!

What's new and fixed in Bazecor

When restoring a backup, you'll now also restore the names of the layers, macros and Superkeys
We improved the macro editor with new home and end buttons and a "clear macro" option
When editing the names of your layers, macros and Superkeys, you can now save them by pressing Enter
Fixed a bug where Bazecor would crash if you tried to update the firmware while offline
Fixed a bug where the Superkey menu would not be available if you were offline
Fixed a bug where when you cloned a Superkey and edited it; it also edited the original Superkey
Macros nested in macros and Superkeys are now properly updated when deleting other macros
Added overlap threshold controls for the Superkeys in the preferences menu
Fixed a bug where Enter was not recognized in the text box while editing macros
Fixed a bug where new mysterious bugs appeared when you deleted your last macro
Fixed a bug where the selection menu would not show the macro you selected when adding macros to a macro
Fixed a bug where Backups were not loading as virtual keyboards
Added a "Backup restored" confirmation prompt when restoring backups
The debug console now works on Linux
Embedded Videos now play on Linux
Fixed a bug where the udev rules prompt in Linux only mentioned the Dygma Raise
Fixed a bug where Chrome tools would not open if you were in the preferences menu
Added more contrast to the macro timeline editor in dark mode
Fixed a bug where dragging your cursor out of the advanced wireless setting window would take you to the previous screen.
Fixed various typos in the "Changes saved Successfully" prompt
Fixed a bug where the update process would not start after pressing ESC for some users
Fixed a bug where the hue values in the color editor were partially hidden
Added French Optimot layout (thanks JYTOU)
Added a message in the firmware update screen to inform the user that you should connect the keyboard directly to the computer: no KVMs or hubs.

What's next?

Firmware-wise, we're going to continue working on improving latency, battery consumption, Bluetooth connectivity, wireless encryption and polishing the superkeys.
Software-wise, we're going to work on a major release: we're refactoring the code to move completely to Typescript (it'll make everything easier and faster to add features and fix bugs), and we're redoing the way Bazecor communicates with the keyboard. This will make it faster and more stable, but our ultimate goal is that you can edit your layers and save your changes over Bluetooth.

Acknowledge bugs and issues

Battery readings are inconsistent, and the UX is confusing
The battery reading is inaccurate when reaching low battery
Some users have reported that the keyboard can discharge at night if connected to a turned-off computer
Some user have reported that the battery doesn't charge when connected to their computer
If you have superkeys in the number row, BT pairing doesn't work
Overlap threshold preferences don't seem to affect Superkeys behavior
The flashing procedure is flaky. It gets stuck or doesn't restore your layers
Bluetooth connections reset when you flash a new firmware
Various inconsistencies in how macros behave
Mouse movements don't work on macros
If you add more than 64 macros in the Defy, everything seems to break
There's no way to delete colors in the color editor
LED Effects reset to your custom LED after a battery reading
The Macro recorder messes up the Y and Z in the German layout
There's no way to edit delays in the macro editor
The wireless LED settings are hidden and difficult to find
Disconnect Timeout error message if you leave Bazecor open too long
The "Changes saved" prompt freezes if you move to another window

Changelog

Add dev note for Windows by @unional in #554
fix: increased contrast of scrollbar on macro timeline editor by @alexpargon in #556
Enable debug without console by @alexpargon in #557
fix: removed no-sandbox for bazecor on linux as video wasn't rendering by @alexpargon in #558
fix: changed drag response when using wireless energy modal by @alexpargon in #559
fix: added new position updater after object drag by @alexpargon in #561
fix: superkeys when copied had linked actions and mods affected all by @alexpargon in #563
fix: removed the comments on the function that restored the names by @alexpargon in #564
fix: github Actions now required to use Python >= 3.8 on windows by @alexpargon in #562
Fixed Python version to avoid distutils issues by @alexpargon in #574
Macros now have easy scroll buttons to travel from start or end by @alexpargon in #573
Macros now are replaced with the selected one, not by 0 by @alexpargon in #575
Fix macros replacement on SuperKeys that have them configured by @alexpargon in #576
fix: Minified error 31 was related to a bad error print when no network connection available by @alexpargon in #577
fix: Changed Raise to Dygma on keyboard type mention for Udev rules by @alexpargon in #578
Fix skoffline detection by @alexpargon in #579
Superkeys now work when there is no internet by @alexpargon in #580
fix: Macro Text converter now reads enter symbols by @alexpargon in #581
fix: preferences options no longer trigger pending changes by @alexpargon in #582
feat: Added toast message after backup restore by @alexpargon in #583
Fix bk pto vk bnot working by @alexpargon in #584
fix: Solved changes saved text on LayoutEditor Toast by @alexpargon in #585
fix:Macros now are deleted with a string equal the memory size by @alexpargon in #586
fix:Macros in macros are now correctly prompted to be deleted by @alexpargon in #587
fix: Default macro was removed as its no longer needed by @alexpargon in #588
Added toast to restore VirtualKeyboard process by @alexpargon in #589
fix: Now if a Backup property is non-existent on the VirtualKB the code creates it by @alexpargon in #590
fix:Name modals now allow you to submit changes with enter by @alexpargon in #591
fix: Macros where being read erroneously when only 1 by @alexpargon in #592
chore: pushed version number to a higher RC by @alexpargon in #593
add:Macro clear button added to empty selected macro by @alexpargon in #597
fix:BackupSettings had a few typos with the word Successful by @alexpargon in #596
fix:added with to color picker to avoid css errors by @alexpargon in #598
feat:added fw flash disclaimer to inform about procedure by @alexpargon in #599
build(dist): compute and publish released assets checksums by @noirbizarre in #595
Adding the French Optimot layout by @jytou in #566
chore(deps): bump axios from 1.4.0 to 1.6.0 by @dependabot in #570
build(deps-dev): bump electron from 25.2.0 to 25.8.4 by @dependabot in #521
build(deps): bump @babel/traverse from 7.22.5 to 7.23.2 by @dependabot in #532
feat: now superkeys can configure layers and OS modifier by @alexpargon in #560
fix: superkeys now recover overlap setting and limit minimum hold timeout by @alexpargon in #603
Add true sleep controls to AdvancedBatterySettings for wireless Defy by @alexpargon in #604
fix: Backup restore was overriding the chipID value and detecting the kb as new by @alexpargon in #605
fix: removed palette consolidation from external import by @alexpargon in #606

New Contributors

@unional made their first contribution in #554
@noirbizarre made their first contribution in #595
@jytou made their first contribution in #566

Full Changelog: v.1.3.6...v1.3.7

Dygmalab/Bazecor v1.3.7 Bazecor 1.3.7 on GitHub