Cabanova is basically an on-line Sitebuilder, a software solution that helps building websites using only your standard browser. Probably the main target of our software is destroying the myth that building a complete website is more difficult than using the ubiquitous office tools like text editors or presentation editors. And we’re not doing it on the expense of quality. Fine graphics get along with excellent SEO, good database connectivity, good size performance.The current version, CabanovaXL, basically developed during 1998-2004, is still in use more ore less unchanged as a proof of strong concepts in UI design at the time. We are now approaching the launch of the next generation sitebuilder that will literally be a standard to be followed in the industry: CabanovaTX. The client part is witten in AS3 (rewritten from scratch), some of the goodies we use are Flex SDK compiler, Flex Builder, Eclipse+PDT, Subclipse SVN, Flash CS3, Debian Linux, MPlayer.Here is just a subset of the new features you’ll (very soon) see in TX:
- The complete set of geometrical (affine) transforms available for all elements
- also can be applied to multiple selections
- Text and other elements will now auto-wrap: they are always entirely visible: no more scrollbars, no more hidden text.
- Consistent Group / Ungroup with no limitations
- All imaginable drag-drop operations are allowed for pages in the structure and elements in the page: to/from page, recycle bin, structure. You can even drag a page from the structure inside another page and it’s contents will be moved to the current page. Really, do your website in minutes! Of course, if you keep the Control key down, you will drag a copy.
- All elements in the page, no matter of their complexity, can be copied instantly. No resource files will be duplicated and no sharing side effects. Like, for example, you can copy an Image Gallery with 200 images: no image file is duplicated but you can later on independently edit or delete each one of them without affecting the other. Same with Guestbooks, Polls and the rest of the gadgets.
- Complete undo/redo history for any action: editing page, editing structure, editing or switching site template.
- An excellent set of Image Effects (filters) including reflection, directional blur, emboss, sharpen.
- Animations
- Page transitions
- A new set of gadgets including the big star: a complete on-line Shop to put right in your CabanovaTX page.
- No more publish action. You just save your page and it’s instantly there, online.
The new interface is all liquid, you can resize windows and dividers everywhere. The UI components are very stylish and responsive, and this is not at the expense of file size, the whole application, everything your browser downloads when you start the editor is below 800KB. You can very well use it with a dial-up Internet connection.If anybody is curious, here is what TX stands for, and the history behind it. Maybe the most wanted thing in the previous versions of Cabanova was good looking and up-to-date templates. But developing new templates for the old system was quite painful. Each template was a complicated mix of timeline based and scripted behavior that required close interraction of a flash designer and a flash programmer. Not anymore, Cabanova is now Template Extendible – TX. Doing a new template is as easy as doing any page. You choose your shapes, import your vectors if needed, add images, throw in a navigation from a rich navigation library and you’re done.