Purple Pen
Simple, versatile, and free course setting software for orienteering
Purple Pen is a Windows application. See here for information on using Purple Pen on Mac or Linux.
About
Purple Pen is course setting software for orienteering. Purple Pen makes it easy to design orienteering courses and their associated control descriptions.
Design your courses visually — directly on any OCAD map, OpenOrienteering Map, or PDF map. View the course and the control descriptions at the same time, and simply click on the control descriptions to set the correct description for each control. Purple Pen automatically does all the busywork:
- Print maps with courses overprints directly (without needing OCAD), or export course maps to OCAD or OpenOrienteering Mapper for final printing, or create PDF files for a print shop.
- Use either an OCAD map (OCAD versions 6-12 supported), OpenOrienteering Mapper map, PDF map, or bitmap map (JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP).
- Print a perfectly formatted control description sheet, with symbolic or textual descriptions (or both). Textual descriptions are automatically generated. Description sheets can be placed onto the map.
- Calculate the length of each course automatically.
- Make sure that the codes and descriptions of shared controls are in sync.
- View or print an all controls map.
- Easily change control codes — one at a time or all at once.
- Calculate how many competitors are visiting a control or running a leg.
- Print master punch cards for easy control card checking.
- Export course data to event management or electronic punching software (IOF standard XML format, version 2 or version 3).
- View or print several different reports about the courses and controls.
- Download control locations to your mobile GPS device.
- Supports both the IOF 2000, 2018, and 2024 control description standards.
Best of all, Purple Pen is completely free software.
Purple Pen runs on Windows 7 through Windows 10. On Mac or Linux, a Windows emulator such as Parallels or VirtualBox is required. See here for more information.
Purple Pen is available in English, French, German, Swedish, Spanish, Norwegian (Bokmal and Nynorsk), Finnish, Polish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Estonian, and Japanese. Documentation in English and Norwegian only.
Directly Uses OCAD Maps, OpenOrienteering Maps, and PDF maps
Purple Pen directly loads and displays an OCAD map for your event. OCAD versions 6 and above are supported. For those using OpenOrienteering Mapper, Purple Pen fully supports that file format (.omap/.xmap) also. You design your courses directly on the OCAD or OOM map, which can be displayed at any level of detail. You can also use a bitmap file such as TIFF or JPEG as a map, or use a PDF file as a map.
Simple User Interface
Purple Pen uses a simple user interface with a single window that displays both the course and control descriptions simultaneously. Many changes can be done by simply clicking on what you want to change and making the change directly. No special "preview" modes -- everything is live all the time. Every change can be undone, with up to 100 levels of undo and redo. Simplicity was the guiding principle in designing Purple Pen.
Conforms to IOF Standards
Purple Pen fully supports the IOF 2004 and 2018 Control Description Standards. Purple Pen can create standard IOF XML interchange files (both version 2 and version 3), which allow the course data to be directly transferred to electronic punching or event management programs.
Advanced Features
Although designed for simplicity, Purple Pen handles your advanced needs also.
Screenshots
Download
Click the above button to install Purple Pen from the Microsoft Store. Installing from the Microsoft Store is the safest way to install Purple Pen, and it will automatically update Purple Pen in the background when new versions are released.
Direct download of current version (3.5.2)Click the button above for a direct download of the latest released version of Purple Pen. Run it to install Purple Pen on your computer.
Requirements:
Purple Pen requires Windows 7 (SP1), or Windows 10 or 11. It requires the .NET Framework to run (2.0 for versions 1.x, 4.0 Client for versions 2.0 and later, 4.8 for versions 3.0 and later). If you do not have this installed on your machine, the installer will automatically download and install it onto your machine.
On Mac, a Windows emulator such as Parallels or VirtualBox is required. See here for more information.
For versions 3.5.0 and later, Windows SmartScreen may warn you about downloading or running the installer. Click here for instructions in this case.
Show all downloads| Version | File Name |
| Purple Pen 3.5.2 | purplepen-352.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.5.1 | purplepen-351.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.5.0 | purplepen-350.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.5.0 beta 1 | purplepen-350-beta1.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.4.1 | purplepen-341.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.4.0 | purplepen-340.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.3.0 | purplepen-330.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.2.3 | purplepen-323.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.2.2 | purplepen-322.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.2.1 | purplepen-321.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.2.0 | purplepen-320.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.6 | purplepen-316.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.5 | purplepen-315.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.4 | purplepen-314.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.3 | purplepen-313.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.2 | purplepen-312.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.1 | purplepen-311.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.1.0 | purplepen-310.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.1 | purplepen-301.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.1 | purplepen-301.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.0 | purplepen-300.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 4 | purplepen-300-beta4.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 3 | purplepen-300-beta3.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 2 | purplepen-300-beta2.exe |
| Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 1 | purplepen-300-beta1.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.6.2 | purplepen-262.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.6.1 | purplepen-261.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.6.0 | purplepen-260.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.6.0 Beta 1 | purplepen-260-beta1.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.5.0 | purplepen-250.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.4.0 | purplepen-240.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.3.2 | purplepen-232.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.3.1 | purplepen-231.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.3.0 | purplepen-230.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.2.4 | purplepen-224.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.2.3 | purplepen-223.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.2.2 | purplepen-222.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.2.1 | purplepen-221.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.2.0 | purplepen-220.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.1.0 | purplepen-210.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.3 | purplepen-203.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.2 | purplepen-202.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.1 | purplepen-201.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.0 | purplepen-200.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.0 Beta 3 | purplepen-200-beta3.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.0 Beta 2 | purplepen-200-beta2.exe |
| Purple Pen 2.0.0 Beta 1 | purplepen-200-beta1.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.2.2 | purplepen-122.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.2.1 | purplepen-121.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.2.0 | purplepen-120.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.1.5 | purplepen-115.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.1.4 | purplepen-114.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.1.2 | purplepen-112.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.1.1 | purplepen-111.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.1.0 | purplepen-110.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.2 | purplepen-102.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.1 | purplepen-101.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.0 | purplepen-100.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.0 RC 1 | purplepen-100-rc1.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.0 Beta 3 | purplepen-100-beta3.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.0 Beta 2 | purplepen-100-beta2.exe |
| Purple Pen 1.0.0 Beta 1 | purplepen-100-beta1.exe |
Learn
Documentation
Purple Pen has detailed instructions included with the program. It is highly recommended that new users of Purple Pen read over the documentation.
To start reading the documentation, chose "Purple Pen Help" from the Help menu.
Videos
Several people have produced videos that teach the use of Purple Pen.
- Introduction to Purple Pen - Orienteering Victoria - English
- Purple Pen Tutorial - CROC - English
- Using Purple Pen - Gordon Bosley - English
- Understanding Purple Pen - British Orienteering - English
- Tutoriel Purple Pen - Nicolas Fouillard - French
- Skapa din egen bana med Purple Pen - Björn Alpberg - Swedish
FAQ
Purple Pen Will Not Start
Sometimes existing problems on your Windows installation prevent Purple Pen from starting, or some functions such as printing or exporting files fail. The following steps usually can resolve these problems.
- Turn your computer fully off, then on.
- Make sure you have at least 1GB of free disk space. Delete files and empty the recycle bin if you don't.
- Uninstall Purple Pen using "Uninstall a Program" from Windows Control Panel.
- Make sure that you can see hidden files in file explorer by following the instructions here:
-
Fully delete the following directories, if they exist (it is expected that some of them may not exist):
- C:\Program Files\Purple Pen
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Purple Pen
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Golde_Software
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\PurplePen
- (Replace <username> with your username.) Note that the AppData directory may be hidden in File Explorer; it should be visible if you followed the previous step.
- Run DISM and the System File Checker tool: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/929833
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Install the latest version of .NET framework: https://dotnet.microsoft.com/download/dotnet-framework-runtime
- If the .NET framework install fails, try running the .NET Framework repair tool, then repeat.
- Reinstall Purple Pen from http://purple-pen.org
PDF map file does not load or appears incorrectly.
Purple Pen relies on Google Pdfium to read PDF files. Sometimes badly formed PDF files will not be converted correctly by this program. You can convert these "bad" PDFs to "good" PDFs with the following procedure.
- Download and install the free version of PrimoPDF from primopdf.com
- Open the "bad" PDF in Adobe Reader.
- In Adobe Reader, select "Print..." from the File menu.
- In the "Printer" drop-down list at the top, select "PrimoPDF".
- In the "Page Sizing & Handling section, click the "Size" button.
- Select "Actual Size".
- Check "Choose paper source from PDF page size".
- Check "Use custom paper size when needed".
- Click "Print" buttom.
- When the PrimoPDF dialog appears, click "Create PDF" and save the PDF to a new file. This PDF is your "good" PDF that should load correctly into Purple Pen.
Support
Purple Pen is free software. There is no guaranteed support. However, support is provided via the Purple Pen mailing list on groups.io. If you have a question, problem, or suggestions, please join the mailing list and ask. Most likely, someone will be happy to help you.
Purple Pen is continuing to evolve. We want to hear your suggestions as to what needs to be fixed or added to make Purple Pen the best and easiest program for course setting. Please join the mailing list and let us know how Purple Pen can be improved.
Contribute
Purple Pen is open source software. As such, we welcome contributions and help from any and all interested people.
Providing Feedback
The easiest and most important way that you can help to improve Purple Pen is by giving feedback. In order to improve it, we need to know what is broken, missing, or could be better. Please join the Purple Pen mailing list, and tell us what you think. If you want a change, tell us about it!
Translating
We'd like to make Purple Pen available as many languages as possible. If you are fluent in another language and would like to help translate Purple Pen, see information about translating Purple Pen here.
Writing/Editing Documentation
A computer program is no good if no one knows how to use it. If you like to write or edit, we'd love to have help improving the documentation for Purple Pen. Drop us a line on the mailing list.
If web site design or writing is your bent, this web site could undoubtedly use improvement also.
Cash Donations
If you'd like to donate money to cover expenses and support further development, you can donate money via PayPal here.
Tools
This page collects some other useful computer tools related to maps and orienteering.
Ocad2Png
Ocad2Png is a Windows command line tool that creates a PNG bitmap file from an OCAD file, or a portion of it. Options allow determining the size of the output, which part of the OCAD file to use, whether to include templates/background maps, and other options. Ocad2Png is useful for applications such as seeing where maps have changed, or automating various workflows involving OCAD maps. To use the tool, download and run the setup program. Once complete, open a Windows command prompt and type "Ocad2Png". You should get instructions on all the command line options.
DownloadDonate
You can show your appreciation for Purple Pen and support future development by donating! Please note that donations to Purple Pen are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes.
Thank you!
To donate, click on the donate button below the currency and country/language you prefer. You will be directed to Paypal to complete your donation.
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We fully appreciate the generosity of those who donate to Purple Pen, and it is very important to us to maintain your trust. If you use PayPal, they will require certain personal information from you in order to create and establish an account. Some of this information, such as your name, e-mail address, and donation amount will be transmitted to our PayPal account upon receipt of donation. Other details will only be held by PayPal, and not sent to us. Rest assured that the details of any donation received by Purple Pen will be kept private and never sold or otherwise divulged to any third party.
Changelog
Aug 7, 2024
3.5.2 released. New installation option via Microsoft Store. Also has the option to ignore selected courses in reports, and report headers shows on subsequent pages.
Jun 12, 2024
3.5.1 released. Include the new triangle in a circle symbols for map exchanges/map flips, plus option to use Arial font for control numbers.
Dec 31, 2023
3.5.0 released. Features from beta, plus a few bug fixes.
Dec 3, 2023
3.5.0 Beta 1 release. Adds the following new features:
- Run in full resolution on high resolution displays. When running on screens with a resolution about 120 dpi, Purple Pen will use the full resolution of the display, instead of being scaled (which results in a slight fuzziness).
- New feature: Event/Move all controls. Allows moving all the controls (and other course features) to handle offsets, rotations, or scaling of the underlying map file.
- Correctly handle UTM zones from OpenOrienteering Mapper without a 'N' or 'S' suffix.
- New description symbols from the IOF Control Descriptions Standard 2024. Adds Railway and Map Flip. Because the 2024 standard is the same as the 2018 except the two new symbols, the 2024 standard is merged with the 2018 standard when selecting which control standard to use.
- Added program translation for Czech, Danish, Portuguese, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Traditional Chinese.
Sept 16, 2022
Version 3.4.1 has been released. Fixed regression with PDFs and missing control descriptions, regression with control number blending, and updated Out Of Bounds for ISSprOM-2019-2.
Sept 15, 2022
Version 3.4.0 has been released. Several bug fixes, especially with OpenOrienteering Mapper files. Support for ISSpr2019 map standard. Added KML export. Sorry for the long delay without updates!
Nov 20, 2019
Version 3.3,0 has been released. This adds support for Open Orienteering Mapper version 0.9. Also adds two new features: adding a Ellipse drawing object to a course, and stretching a crossing point features to cross a longer distance.
Apr 27, 2019
Version 3.2.3 has been released. This is a bug fix release. Fixes a problem with File/Create Image File, and with startup on Chinese language computers.
Apr 22, 2019
Version 3.2.2 has been released. This has bug fixes for PDF creating Out Of Memory errors, not saved fixed branch variations correctly, and control gaps not respecting map item scaling options correctly.
Feb 26, 2019
Version 3.2.1 has been released. This has a fix for the wrong font used for control numbers in some rare cases.
Feb 21, 2019
Version 3.2.0 has been released. This has a large number of new features, plus several bug fixes. Included is a new font for descriptions and numbers, a Create Image File command, Create PDFs for descriptions and punch cards, georeferenced image for RouteGadget, better support for timed start away from the start triangle, fixed size text, and several fixes and improvements for relays.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
Jan 6, 2019
Version 3.1.6 has been released. This is a fix for a bug involving relay teams where the team number starts at a number other than 1.
Dec 14, 2018
Version 3.1.5 has been released. This is a bug fix release, with some minor new features. Italian control description language is now available.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
May 18, 2018
Version 3.1.4 has been released. This is a bug fix release, but also includes a re-written setup program.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
Mar 28, 2018
Version 3.1.3 has been released. This includes support for OCAD 2018 files, as well as fixing the size of the finish circle when ISOM2017 is selected.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
Feb 26, 2018
Version 3.1.2 has been released. This includes a bug fix for rendering of OCAD 12 new patterned area options, and support for loading files created by OpenOrienteering Mapper 0.8.0. It also includes a new feature for viewing multiple courses at the same time, that I would love to hear feedback on. Several other bug fixes are also included.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
Jan 17, 2018
Version 3.1.1 has been released. This includes a bug fix for the Event Audit feature with the 2018 control description standard (thank you David Rosen), and fixes for some missing help topics.
Jan 4, 2018
Version 3.1.0 has been released. This includes support for the 2018 control description standard, ISOM 2017, and adding a map issue point. Also includes some performance improvements.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
Aug 29, 2017
Version 3.0.1 has been released. Various bug fixes.
You can see the full description of the fixes here.
Apr 19, 2017
Final release of version 3.0.0 has been released. It fixes issues relating to loading certain OpenOrienteering Mapper files.
Mar 22, 2017
Beta 4 of Version 3.0 has been released. It fixed one bug with PDF file created over Beta 3. Please send your feedback to the Purple Pen mailing list.
Because this is a beta release, you must download it manually by selecting "Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 4" from the download page.
Mar 20, 2017
Beta 3 of Version 3.0 has been released. It adds support for Open Orienteering Mapper files, course variations and relays, and much better PDF file reading. Please send your feedback to the Purple Pen mailing list.
Because this is a beta release, you must download it manually by selecting "Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 3" from the download page.
Feb 18, 2017
Beta 2 of Version 3.0 has been released. It adds support for Open Orienteering Mapper files, course variations and relays, and much better PDF file reading. New to beta 2 is 64-bit execution. Please send your feedback to the Purple Pen mailing list.
Because this is a beta release, you must download it manually by selecting "Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 2" from the download page.
Nov 22, 2016
Beta 1 of Version 3.0 has been released. It adds support for Open Orienteering Mapper files, course variations and relays, and much better PDF file reading. Please send your feedback to the Purple Pen mailing list.
Because this is a beta release, you must download it manually by selecting "Purple Pen 3.0.0 beta 1" from the download page.
May 23, 2016
Version 2.6.2 is released. This release adds support for IOF XML version 3, and has other enhancements for XML export. It also changes the behavior to better support high resolution displays. You can see the full list of fixes and features here. Download it from the download page.
Feb 22, 2016
Version 2.6.1 is released. This is a primarily a bug fix release, but also contains support for Polish control description text. You can see the full list of fixes and features here. Download it from the download page.
Nov 24, 2015
Version 2.6.0 is released. The biggest change is an updating of how paper sizes and print areas are handled, but also adds multi-line text in the middle of a description, Chinese (Traditional) textual descriptions, and several bug fixes, and support for the OCAD 12 file format. You can see the full list of fixes and features here. Download it from the download page.
Oct 1, 2015
Version 2.6.0 beta 1 is released. The biggest change is an updating of how paper sizes and print areas are handled, but also adds multi-text text in the middle of a description, Chinese (Traditional) textual descriptions, and several bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes and features here. Download it from the download page. Note that you must select the beta 1 version from the detailed list of downloads; the large "Download Now" button downloads the most recent stable version (currently 2.5.0).
Jan 28, 2015
Version 2.5.0 is released. A number of feature additions: duplicate course command, custom course length, help people when moving shared controls, Japanese description text, plus other features and bug fixes. More details here.
Oct 2, 2014
Version 2.4.0 is released. This allows blending of the purple color with the background map. It also adds GPX file creation to download control locations to a mobile GPS. More details here.
Feb 27, 2014
Version 2.3.2 is released. This allows customization of the automatic gaps created when legs cross. More details here.
Feb 23, 2014
Version 2.3.1 is released. This is a bug fix release. More details here.
Feb 18, 2014
Version 2.3.0 is released. This adds several new features, including the ability to add images, rectangles, and lines to your map. More details here.
Jan 14, 2014
Version 2.2.4 is released. This adds the "white outline around numbers" option to Customize Course Appearance. More details here.
Dec 13, 2013
Version 2.2.3 is released. This fixes several bugs. More details here.
Nov 23, 2013
Version 2.2.2 is released. This fixes problems on monitors with high DPI settings. More details here.
Nov 17, 2013
Version 2.2.1 is released. This fixes a few bugs with background maps. More details here.
Nov 8, 2013
Version 2.2.0 is released. This adds display of background maps in OCAD map files. More details here.
Oct 4, 2013
Version 2.1.0 is released. This adds both the ability to use a PDF file as a map file, and also the ability to create PDF files of the final maps/courses directly. More details here.
Aug 2, 2013
Version 2.0.3 is released. This adds the ability to show the finish on parts of a multi-part course (course with map exchange).
July 23, 2013
Version 2.0.2 is released. This fixes a few bugs. You can see the full list of fixes here.
June 12, 2013
Version 2.0.1 is released. This fixes a few bugs. You can see the full list of fixes here.
June 4, 2013
Version 2.0.0 is released. This fixes a few bugs in the previous beta. You can see the full list of fixes here.
May 27, 2013
Version 2.0.0 Beta 3 is released. This fixes a few bugs in the previous beta. You can see the full list of fixes and features here. Download it from the download page. Note that you must select the beta 3 version from the detailed list of downloads; the large "Download Now" button downloads the most recent stable version (currently 1.2.2).
May 22, 2013
Version 2.0.0 Beta 2 is released. This fixes several bugs in the previous beta. Most importantly, printing bugs are fixed and files are backward compatible with version 1.2. You can see the full list of fixes and features here. Download it from the download page. Note that you must select the beta 2 version from the detailed list of downloads; the large "Download Now" button downloads the most recent stable version (currently 1.2.2).
April 1, 2013
Version 2.0.0 Beta 1 is released. This adds many new features. You can see the full list of new features here. Download it from the download page. Note that you must select the beta version from the detailed list of downloads; the large "Download Now" button downloads the most recent stable version (currently 1.2.2).
March 11, 2013
Version 1.2.2 is released. This adds an German translation, thanks to Andrea Schultze.
February 13, 2013
Version 1.2.1 is released. This adds an Estonian translation, thanks to Tarmo Klaar.
December 16, 2012
Version 1.2.0 is released. This includes support for OCAD version 11 files, and a few bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes here .
October 8, 2012
Version 1.1.5 is released. This includes two new translations, and a few bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes here .
April 7, 2012
Version 1.1.4 is released. This includes three new translations, and a few bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes here . This a fix to 1.1.3, which had a buggy install program.
April 2, 2012
Version 1.1.3 is withdrawn, due to a buggy installation program.
April 1, 2012
Version 1.1.3 is released. This includes three new translations, and a few bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes here .
November 6, 2011
Version 1.1.2 is released. This includes some small additional features, and several bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes here .
October 8, 2011
Version 1.1.1 is released. This includes a brand new Norwegian translation, and several bug fixes. You can see the full list of fixes here .
July 7, 2011
Version 1.1.0 is released. This includes OCAD 10 support, more flexibility in course numbering, control numbers, and score courses, and single step creation of files for RouteGadget. You can see the full list of fixes here .
September 8, 2010
Version 1.0.2 is released. This makes Purple Pen more resilient to unexpected data in OCAD files, and also adds a white-out area special object. You can see the full list of fixes here .
March 28, 2009
Version 1.0.1 is released. This fixes two bugs in 1.0.0. You can see the full list of fixes here .
March 19, 2009
Version 1.0.0 is released. This has a few bug fixes from 1.0 release candidate, and updates the French and Swedish translations.You can see the full list of fixes here .
March 3, 2009
At long last (sorry it has been so long), a new update is ready. This is 1.0 release candidate 1. This release now is translated into French and Swedish, and also has some nice new features. I plan to have a 1.0 release in a few weeks, only fixing any bugs that people might come across. Thus, it would be great if people can try out the new release as soon as possible and report any problems.
You can see the full list of changes and fixes here .
October 31, 2008
Instructions for how to help translate Purple Pen to other languages has been posted here. If you have some time and are a fluent speaker of another language, please consider helping translate Purple Pen!
October 18, 2008
The hosting for the code, bug reports, hoped-for-features of Purple Pen has been moved from SourceForge to LaunchPad.
July 8, 2008
Beta 3 of Purple Pen is ready. This release fixes a couple of nasty bugs and hopefully makes printing work well on all printers. There are also some new features: the All Controls display has several enhancements, and the new Event Audit report checks your event for many possible problems.
You can see the full list of changes and fixes here .
April 15, 2008
Beta 2 of Purple Pen has finally been released. The main new features are listed in the new item below. You can see the full list of changes and fixes here .
I hope that the new version works well for many of you. As always, please let me know what fixed and features you would like to see in the future.
February 26, 2008
Work continues on Beta 2 of Purple Pen. Hopefully it can be released in March. Stay tuned!
Here are a few of the new features that will be in Beta 2:
- You can easily change the map file associated with an event. Also, if the map file cannot be found when an event is opened, PP kindly asks you to find the map file.
- A JPEG, TIFF, or BMP file can be used instead of an OCAD map for the map file. You must specify the resolution of the bitmap and the scale of the map manually in this case.
- A new report to show the lengths of all legs.
- Control descriptions on the map now appear in black instead of purple.
- You can customize the text associated with any description symbol. This is especially useful for the special item symbols. You can also add a key at the bottom of description to show what the special item symbols denote.
- Purple Pen now correctly displays and print almost all features just like OCAD, so the Print Courses command now is recommended for use. For those few features it doesn't support, PP will detect and warn you before you print.
Please keep the feedback coming! It is very useful in deciding what features are really needed.