News about z-Tree

January 17, 2011:Version 3.3.11 released.
Bugfixes:
- accessing variables in the subjects table with only the scope operator in programs which have the owner variable set does not work
- variables in session table are not initialized
- moving the mouse triggers mouse enter events (plot input) even when the object beneath the mouse cursor didn't change
January 6, 2011: Version 3.3.10 released.
Bugfixes:
- text layout in right-to-left languages
- sound did not stop after hide of multimedia box
November 25, 2010: Version 3.3.9 released.
Bugfixes:
- programs attached to a chat box are not exported
- scope operator is not allowed/recognized in layout
- buttons (layout !button in input items) in old treatment don't work in recent versions
- items in grid boxes disappear in right-to-left languages
Januar 29, 2010: Version 3.3.8 released.
Bugfixes:
- plot pies can't be dragged
- click in plot rects doesn't take filling and frame into account
- program for table summary in the background leads to a z-Tree crash
New Feature:
- added magyar to the list of supported languages
December 15, 2008: Version 3.3.6 released.
Bugfix:
- missing data in stages with single entry (follow up bugfix in 3.3.5)
December 10, 2008: Version 3.3.5 released.
Bugfixes:
- missing data in stages with single entry
- revised redraw of contract list box
November 19, 2008: Version 3.3.4 released.
Bugfix:
- replay w/o gamesafe only works in first period
November 11, 2008: Version 3.3.3 released.
Bugfixes:
- editing of a program clears the condition of the program (introduced in version 3.3.0)
- positioning of cursor in plot box
November 3, 2008: Version 3.3.2 released.
Improvement
- prevent later commands from overtaking each other
October 17, 2008: Version 3.3.1 released.
Bugfix:
- contract list box is not redrawn when rows are removed from list box (introduced in version 3.3.0)
Improvements:
- plot box with input item gets input focus on mouse enter (key press events)
- key press when plot box has input focus doesn't cause a beep
- insering and moving of items in the stage tree has been revised (i.e. new points are placed into the selected plot graph)
September 5, 2008: Version 3.3.0 released.
The file format for treatments has changed. Treatments created with this version can not be opened with older versions of z-Tree.
Bugfixes:
- leaf crashes after frequent redraw of contract list box
- tree crashes before writing the payment file if variables in a question on the address form don't exist in the session table
- export of contract list box (selected table not written)
- export of chat box (newlines stripped from output text)
- spelling mistakes in message on waiting screen (German)
Improvements:
- replay w/o gamesafe (with option to fall back on old restart procedure)
- contract list box is only redrawn when data has changed
New Features:
- 'Table Loader' reads in table data from text files
- 'Table Dumper' writes table data into a text file
- 'External Program' starts programs (command line) on server or clients
- bitmap image as background in plot rectangles
- 'Slide Show' with 'Slide Sequence' and 'Slide'
- option 'Rewind' in multimedia box
- logging of errors occurred on the client (new 'logfile' table)
April 29, 2008: Version 3.2.12 released.
Bugfix:
- value of output items not shown if initial value is assigned in a program of a button or an active item
Improvement:
- prevent overwriting of files from pevious sessions
March 04, 2008: Version 3.2.11 released.
Bugfix:
- z-tree crashes if first subject suffers losses
December 05, 2007: Version 3.2.10 released.
Bugfixes:
- array variables in subjects table of first client are updated with default values (Zeros) if more than one record changed
- undefined variable in same() function crashes z-Tree
September 20, 2007: Version 3.2.9 released.
Bugfixes:
- "Reload database" only loads the data for the first session array variable
- array variables in input items may crash z-Tree
- (default) value is not shown for input items
June 5, 2007: Version 3.2.8 released.
New Feature:
- String variables in output items
May 21, 2007: Version 3.2.7 released.
Bugfixes:
- Input is not processed if first stage in group has timeout -1 and some subjects do not participate
- 'Clear Entry After OK' does not work
- Expressions in size and position of boxes are not checked
May 10, 2007: Version 3.2.6 released.
Bugfixes:
- Performance problems, gsf-File getting very big (messages are sent more than once in stage groups)
- OLDsubjects query in if statement doesn't work (handling of return type of if statement)
- Import function error (detecting start of comment)
- Content of container box is covered by container window (box order)
Improvement:
- Evaluation of expressions connected by & or ¦ stops as soon as the truth or falsehood of the result is known
New Feature:
- Added Mongolian to the list of supported languages
April 24, 2007: Version 3.2.5 released.
Improvements:
- Beautified layout of radioline and radiolinelabel in questionnaires
- Resizing options in multimedia box are available to videos
April 17, 2007: Version 3.2.4 released.
Bugfixes:
- Questionnaire crash after import w/o save, close and reopen
- After RepeatTreatment numPracticePeriods is negativ
- Memory leak (messages sent to clients)
Improvements:
- Size and position of program dialog is saved
- Automatic silent checker to enforce unique contracts
- Flicker-free drawing in plot window
March 7, 2007: Version 3.2.3 released.
Improvements:
- Size and position of boxes can be specified with expressions
- Resizable program dialog
February 16, 2007: Version 3.2.2 released.
New Feature:
- New options in Join Files...
  - Ignore white space in keys
  - Ignore leading zeros in keys
  - Store lines without key
February 12, 2007: Version 3.2.1 released.
Bugfixes:
- Variables are not transmitted to the clients if they are changed in a start if possible stage program
- Typos in set language
January 18, 2007: Version 3.2.0 released.
- It changes the box order to "one on top of the previous". Compatibility is guaranteed with a compatibility option in the background of the treatment.
January 2007: Version 3.1.2 released.
- It contains many new features. See
https://www.unizh.ch/iew/ztree/ssl-dir/wiki/index.php?n=Main.NewInVersion3.
December 2007: We started a Wiki with z-Tree documentation.
December 2002: Version 2.1.3 released. It contains bug fixes
- Fix: Texts are not placed in full width in standard boxes if there are no buttons, but the buttons are placed vertically.
- Fix: Wrong subjects DB after history box which does not show current period.
- Fix: z-Tree freezes if an item is edited after a progra containing a repeat loop.
- Conversion of pre 2.1 version: Cancel buttons do end stage now.
- Hack: RTF now allows also in Winows 2000 the centered option. However, only one alignement option is possible, i.e. no mixed alignement is possible in one field.
- Fix: Clock does appear too late if a later command is used.
- Fix: In a sequence of stages that are left after timeout, a timeout has the consequence that the program jumps to the stage after all these stages - even if the "wait for all" option is set.
June 2002: Version 2.1.0 released. It contains
- New stage options: In makes possible to implement any kind of move structure.
- New button options: The color (gray or red) can explicitly be determined
- An option in the history box that allows to exclude the current period.
- Language support for a lot more languages.
- Show and hide boxes: This allows to implement more dynamic screens.
- You can program that a stage is left in a particular moment. For instance, if in a Dutch auction one subject accepts to buy the good, the whole group leaves the stage and waits until all groups have finished.
June 2002: The new manual for version 2.1.0 is available.
December 2001: Version 2.0.16 released. It contains
- New command Fix File... (see Bugs)
- Tool "Join Files..."
- In the commands in the Tools menu, more than one file can be selected at once.
- New Menu commands in the parameter table: "Append Variable" and "Append Text"
- z-Leaf appears with its name in the explorer (with -[tab])
- Several bug fixes
  - power function return negative values for negative numbers
  - Crash if a user defined table is removed, but still used in programs
  - Crash if in a running treatment, the parameter table is modified and closed.
  - If subjects are very quich a time of 0 was logged (now it is 9999)
  - TotalProfit is not calculated if Profit is calculated within a stage
  - Text appears gray in Windows 2000
  - Screen layout flaw in Windows 2000
December 21, 2000: Version 2.0.14 released. It contains
- A new tool "Join files..."
  It allows to add the lines of one table to the lines of another table based on key variables. For instance, you can add the data in the subjects table to the data of the contracts table based on the key (Period,Subject)
- The buttons in zLeaf are locked as long as z-Tree is processing input of this subject. (When many subjects simultaneously made an entry in an auction, the processing could take a moment. If subjects did not get an immediate feedback, they tried again and again. This could cause a vicious circle of more and more subject input and could finally end in a crash of the software.)
- The function random() has been improved. It is now more "random" than before.
- Checks run through all parts of an if statement. This allows to define variables in tables without changing them. (This is important for tables with lifetime treatment and session.)
```
if (FALSE) {
   var1=0; // defines var1
   var2=0; // defines var1
}
```
- Bugs fixed
  - z-Tree hangs if a program is inserted after a program with a repeat loop.
  - Groups are not separated in contract list boxes although the condition (Group == :Group) is applied.
  - Crash if a negative number is entered for "number of periods".
  - The treatment counter is not incremented after questionnaires.
September, 2000: Version 2.0.13 released. It contains
- In the treatment menu, the items that cannot be selected are deactivated.
- The *.xls-file now contains the session name as first column.
- There is a new command line option for zLeaf:
```
/position x,y
```
  (space between position and x; no space around the comma. For instance
```
/position 100,20
```
  This option allows to specify the top left corner of the zLeaf window.
- A new Menu contains tools that make data analysis easier. There are the following commands:
  - Separate Tables
    Reads a *.xls file that z-Tree generated and creates new files: One file per table and treatment.
  - Join *.sbj File
    Joins the *.sbj file to a file that contains a table with a column named "Subject" (input table). Joining means that the information in the *.sbj file, i.e., the the questionnaire data, is added to each row of the input table. Which line of the *.sbj file is entered depends on the value in the "Subject" column.
  - Merge Files
    Several files containing tab separated tables with a header (called input tables) can be merged: The output table is a table containing all the records of all the input tables. If a column does not exist in an input table, the value is left empty in the rows of this table.
  - Some general remarks on these tools.
    The files that are created override existing ones. Because the names generated are based on the original file names that should not cause problems. The tools cannot be used for modifying the files of the running session. I recommend not to use the tools while a session is running.
- Bug fixes
  - The header of contract list boxes did not show up in period >1.
  - Button in waiting screen causes a crash of zLeaf when it is pressed.
  - in input items with "!text"-format, the widest text cannot be entered if it is wider than the default width.
July 21, 2000: New home page. This new home page now contains some sample treatments.
June 2000: A mailing list for z-Tree has bee set up.
June 2000: Version 2.0.12 released

Last modified: January 24, 2011 (ztreeadm@iew.unizh.ch)