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TidBITS Watchlist: Notable Software Updates for 5 September 2016

Alfred 3.1 — Running with Crayons has issued Alfred 3.1 with workflow and performance improvements for the keyboard-driven launcher. The update adds three new workflow objects (a Hide Alfred utility, plus Dispatch Key Combo and Call External Trigger output objects), improves overall responsiveness (particularly for the Actions panel and Large Type), enables use of Command-S and Escape as key combinations in Remote configuration, updates the iTunes AppleScript to disable shuffle before playing an Alfred playlist, and tunes metadata queries for macOS 10.12 Sierra to improve performance. (Free, £17 for Powerpack, 2.6 MB, release notes, 10.9+)

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Default Folder X 5.0.6 — St. Clair Software has released Default Folder X 5.0.6, adding support for macOS 10.12 Sierra plus a couple of oft-requested features: improved Favorites sorting by name and better compatibility with LaunchBar. The Open/Save dialog enhancement utility also adds support for version 3 of iTerm2, fixes a bug that could cause the cursor to disappear, addresses a hang that required quitting Default Folder X, improves launch speed, and correctly recognizes the active tab in a Finder window rather than using the first one. ($34.95 new, $14.95 upgrade from version 4, TidBITS members save $10 on new copies and $5 on upgrades, 8.1 MB, release notes, 10.10+)

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Nisus Writer Pro 2.1.5 — Nisus Software has released Nisus Writer Pro 2.1.5 with fixes for problems with converting DOC, DOCX, and ODT files. The powerful word processor also addresses an issue with incorrect bulleted lists imported from Microsoft Word, squashes a bug that prevented duplicate backups from being autosaved when closing documents, ensures that pasting an image from Apple’s Photos app inserts an image rather than a link to the file, and adds a number of macros (Set Menu State, Set Bold, and Set Italic). ($79 new from Nisus Software and the Mac App Store, free update, 225 MB, release notes, 10.8.5+)

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DEVONthink 2.9.4 — DEVONtechnologies has updated all three editions of DEVONthink (Personal, Pro, and Pro Office) to version 2.9.4 with sync-related reliability improvements and bug fixes for the personal information manager. The sync toolbar buttons now indicate unsynced changes (similar to the user interface found in the DEVONthink To Go iOS app), synced static and small items require less bandwidth and disk space thanks to better data chunking, and DEVONthink improves both Bonjour connection reliability and
conflict handling with Dropbox.

The updates also fix an issue where WebDAV authentication could fail in OS X 10.10 Yosemite, resolve crashes related to sync stores and unreliable Bonjour connections, and fix a bug that prevented changes from being saved in a modified Web archive. (All updates are free. DEVONthink Pro Office, $149.95 new, release notes; DEVONthink Professional, $79.95 new, release notes; DEVONthink Personal, $49.95 new, release notes; 25
percent discount for TidBITS members on all editions of DEVONthink; 10.9+)

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iFinance 4.1 — Synium Software has released iFinance 4.1 with improvements and enhancements for the financial management app (which we noted in “Your Favorite Mac Personal Finance Apps,” 29 February 2016). The update adds VoiceOver support and automatic backups, enables Categories to be added automatically when entering transaction titles, switches to an iPhone-like navigation mode when the database window gets too small, adds PDF exporting of charts and reports, improves speed, and revises the app icon.

iFinance for iOS has also been updated to version 4.1, adding a native Apple Watch app that runs on watchOS 2. Both the Mac and iOS versions of iFinance are discounted by 50 percent through 18 September 2016, with the Mac app priced at $19.99 (normally $39.99) and the iOS app priced at $4.99 (regularly $9.99). ($39.99 new from the Mac App Store, free update, 24.4 MB, release notes, 10.10+)

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EagleFiler 1.7 — C-Command Software has released EagleFiler 1.7 with improvements, bug fixes, and additions to the venerable document organization and archiving app (see “EagleFiler Turns a Finder Folder Into a Snippet Keeper,” 24 February 2010). For those running macOS 10.12 Sierra, EagleFiler now supports capturing messages from Apple Mail, adds support for tabbed windows, and fixes a bug that prevented the app from launching. The update also resolves an issue with the Remove Duplicate Messages script not working, works around a bug where libraries failed to appear in the
Open Recent menu, and improves reporting of empty Apple Mail messages. ($40 new with a 20 percent discount for TidBITS members from C-Command Software or from the Mac App Store, free update, 18.3 MB, release notes, 10.6.8+)

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