14 DAY TRIAL // Karelia Software has updated Sandvox, a website-creation tool for Mac OS X. Version 1.5.2 adds five new features and a truckload of tweaks and bug fixes. Among the new additions are new background capabilities (autosave and snapshots), the ability to read Firefox cookies for the auto-detection of registration codes, and a new, hidden preference.
According to Karelia Software, autosave is now performed on a background thread. Backups/snapshots also run in the background, during the autosaving process, while the Title List and Download Page indexes now support navigational arrows. Saving a backup or snapshot now allows the visualization of a sheet with a progress indicator.
As noted above, Sandvox 1.5.2 can read Firefox cookies, in order to auto-detect registration codes, when purchased from the browser. Lastly, the release is accompanied by a new hidden preference, namely “DisableSecureUploadCache.” According to the makers, the default for this is NO, so that UploadCachePath uses the more secure NSTemporaryDiretory. However, setting this default to YES will change UploadCachePath to use ~/Library/Caches, which should result in shorter, less obscure paths for uploading, says Karelia.
Sandvox's text, image, audio, and video sharing features are true assets, with more than 40 site designs available (with viewport settings for optimized display on iPhones), according to the developers. With the release of Sandvox 1.2.7, customizable banners that let you personalize your site were added, as well as a comprehensive and completely integrated Help feature with more than 200 articles, including step-by-step "How do I...?" pages. Localization was also improved for French, Italian, Danish, German, Japanese, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
"Sandvox is a great piece of software. It should be used in a software design class as an excellent example of an intuitive user interface. The features are accessible to basic users, but it is also powerful enough for advanced web designers. I've tried out different web publishing software, but they don't come close to Sandvox when compared on features, ease-of-use, and pricing," says Andrew Soh, a California resident and user of Kareila's website creation tool.
Sandvox costs $49 to buy. To update, purchase, or try a demo of the software, use the link below. The demo will only export or publish the home page of each project you create by using it. Sandvox requires Mac OS X 10.4.4 (Tiger) or later to work, and is an Universal application.