[v1.1] zenReader

[Is Mise]

Game Name: zenReader
Creator: J. Ó Broin
Version: 1.1

Description:

A book reader for your Zune. Featuring:
- The Ability to Add Books Without Rebuilding/Redeploying the Program
- The Ability to Share Books with a Friend using the Zune's Image Sharing Capabilities.
- Automatic Splitting of Large Books with the Converter Program
- Touchpad Support (works great without it too!)
- Comes with a Copy of the New Testament
- Multiple Bookmarks with Quick Index
- Customizable Colours and Multiple Font Sizes
- Smooth Scrolling and Autoscrolling with Customizable Speeds

Instructions:

Adding books to the program:
- Unzip Compressbook.exe, FSharp.Core.dll, and FSharp.Powerpack.dll to the same folder and run CompressBook.
- Click "Compress..." and select the plain text files of the books you want to add.
- By default, the compressed files will be saved to a folder called zenBooks in your Pictures folder. The first time you run the program, it will ask if you want to create this folder, click Yes.
- The text files will be compressed into images which look like colourful static.
- Start the Zune software and sync the zenBooks folder with the newly created images to your Zune.

Using the program:
- Use the touchpad to navigate, or press up/down to move one line at a time, and left/right to move one page at a time. If you hold down the direction buttons, the speed of movement will gradually increase.
- Pressing the centre button selects something when you're in a menu, and opens the Bookmarks Menu when you're in reading mode.
- Pressing the back button takes you to the previous menu, or to the main menu if you're reading something.
- Press play to toggle Autoscroll when in reading mode. The speed of Autoscroll can be adjusted from the Settings Menu.

Download URL: zenReader 1.1.zip
License: Proprietary

Screenshots:

The main menu

Opening a book

Reading the book

Bookmarks menu

The "in-book" main menu

Changing the settings

The CompressBook program

Changelog:

Version 1.1:
- Autoscroll feature
- Smaller font size options
- Progress bar in CompressBook program
Note to users upgrading from the previous version:
Your font selection will be 2 sizes smaller than before, if you wish to keep your old font size, you will have to reset it in the Settings Menu.
Also, while new users' Autoscroll speed defaults to 60 lines/minute, upgrading users will have a default of 15 l/m, adjust accordingly.

[Deathbot64]

i downloaded the app, the ccgame file work but the compressbook.exe doesnt work can u fix it

[tech.freak243]

is this open source? that program will not work unless the reader is open source

[Gohtar]

Using the zune images folder to add new books is a pretty cool idea, well done.

[Is Mise]

Looks like I remembered to to include a copy of the F# license but forgot the F# .dlls that the license is for. I've updated the download link now, just make sure the .dlls are in the same folder as CompressBook and it should work fine (it even runs on Mono now!)

@tech.freak: No, it isn't open source, but yes, it does work. If you really want to know what's in it, you can always use the .NET Reflector.

@Gohtar: Thanks

[Netrix]

You did a great job with this.

[xCyberFang]

This is double-amazing.
This makes it also possible to share books with other zunes nearby, simply by sending the image.

The only problem i have with it is the new testament, how do i remove that?? I'm kind of wiccan and dont believe in the chrsitian god.

Also, it would be neat if you had a progress bar for the converter program to let u see its progress when converting.
and maybe for the part that you type in the directory, it would be easier if you could use a browse folder dialogue box to choose what folder.

[vovka1965]

The application works great, but can we have an "extra small" font? The so-called small font is still pretty large so that not much fits on the screen

[Is Mise]

Originally Posted by Netrix

You did a great job with this.

Thanks, I've been impressed with all your work too.

Originally Posted by xCyberFang

This is double-amazing.
This makes it also possible to share books with other zunes nearby, simply by sending the image.

Thanks, and thanks for pointing out that feature, I knew I was forgetting to put something in the feature list.

Originally Posted by xCyberFang

I'm kind of wiccan and dont believe in the chrsitian god.

But He believes in you.

Originally Posted by xCyberFang

Also, it would be neat if you had a progress bar for the converter program to let u see its progress when converting.
and maybe for the part that you type in the directory, it would be easier if you could use a browse folder dialogue box to choose what folder.

Originally Posted by vovka1965

The application works great, but can we have an "extra small" font? The so-called small font is still pretty large so that not much fits on the screen

Thank you both for the suggestions, I'll try to add some of them to v1.1 if I have the time.

If anyone else has any suggestions for the next version, I'd be glad to hear them.

[xCyberFang]

Originally Posted by Is Mise

But He believes in you.

So there isnt a way to delete the new testament file?? I mean i hope i dont offend you in any way in asking to be able to delete it, and i want to ask you not say the "But He believes in you" it sounds like you are trying to convert me over to christianity. I would really just like a way to remove it is all im asking.

[Bolt]

Honestly, I would ignore it.. you don't need to look at it, and it appears to be just one menu item.

[Is Mise]

Originally Posted by xCyberFang

I mean i hope i dont offend you in any way in asking to be able to delete it

Don't worry, no offence taken, but it's not as simple as just deleting it. As far as I know the XNA Framework provides no way of deleting files in a program's deployment folder. Also, the existence of the file is hard coded into the Book Menu logic, since all the rest of the books in the list are taken from your Zune's images folder, and that one has to be added from the zenReader's program folder and sorted in alphabetically. So, I'm not interested in maintaining two code branches of a program I made for free in my spare time.

Originally Posted by Bolt

Honestly, I would ignore it.. you don't need to look at it, and it appears to be just one menu item.

Excellent point.

[Netrix]

Originally Posted by Is Mise

Don't worry, no offence taken, but it's not as simple as just deleting it. As far as I know the XNA Framework provides no way of deleting files in a program's deployment folder. Also, the existence of the file is hard coded into the Book Menu logic, since all the rest of the books in the list are taken from your Zune's images folder, and that one has to be added from the zenReader's program folder and sorted in alphabetically. So, I'm not interested in maintaining two code branches of a program I made for free in my spare time.

They have the game container read-only. You can neither delete anything on it nor write to it. The only easy solution that I can think of is to add some sort of button combination or even menu option that will simply remove it from the list of books.

[marcusj0015]

dude is there any way that i could use this as a lyrics app?

all i would have to do is add audio support and a couple other features that i cant remember anymore

[FilthyHarry]

Awesome. Ty.

Agree with previous poster. The Small option should be much smaller imo.

Again TY.

[Is Mise]

Originally Posted by marcusj0015

dude is there any way that i could use this as a lyrics app?

all i would have to do is add audio support and a couple other features that i cant remember anymore

That's a good idea. zenReader is written entirely in F# though, without any code commenting, so it might be easier if you told me what specific additions/modifications you had in mind for this feature, and I'll see if I can work them in to some future version.

Originally Posted by FilthyHarry

Awesome. Ty.

Agree with previous poster. The Small option should be much smaller imo.

Again TY.

Thanks. Yeah, I've got a Zune 8 and forgot that the non-flash Zunes have a lot bigger screens, tinier font size options are coming in version 1.1.

[FilthyHarry]

FYI in case anyone was curious this works for me on an 80gb with the latest firmware update, 3.2

[FilthyHarry]

A request for 1.1: option to change the orientation from landscape to portrait please if possible and not too hard.

ty.

[Ricardo Dawkins]

wow, good idea in using the media features of XNA to load the pages as images from the device collection. Pretty clever. Good job.

[Is Mise]

Version 1.1 is now available, including the progress bar and smaller font size requests. Also, an Autoscroll feature which can be activated with the play button.

See the first post for the download link.

To the mods: I tried to change the title of the thread to "[v1.1] zenReader" by changing the title of the first post, but it doesn't seem to have worked. Could you change it for me or should I start a new thread for the new version?