Banksia GUI forums

Version 0.53 released

Besides some minor bug fixes, there are some new things, including:

• Board clock: more options

• Test positions (test suites): more info and controllable. Work with the term “am” (avoid move). Can test with both EPD, PGN files

• Support uci_engineabout, uci_showcurrline

• Support displaying multi-PVs

• New online book & EGTB: use Lichess servers for querying opening and endgame (Syzygy 7 men) positions

• Online books (chessdb.cn & Lichess) can auto make moves for engines in non-tournament games

• Show how engines are set up: they are some vital options for engines, including the number of cores, mem, ponder mode, Syzygy path. That information is shown as tooltips, which users can verify frequently (Fig. 1)

• The last position of PV lines could be shown as tooltips (Fig. 2)

• Hover the mouse pointer in moves, graph panels to see corresponding boards as tooltips (Fig. 3, 4)

• More fonts’ sizes can be changed. They are the font for the whole app (affects almost all panels, bars, tables…), fonts for the plain text of tournament result, engine log…

• Analysis on the fly: all information is kept and displayed after being stopped; can set a timer instead of having infinite mode only; check threats: run analyses with the opposite side to check what he may do if the side to move (almost) do nothing

• The configuration folder could be changed

• New design and implementation for playing via local network (Fig. 5, 6)

• Engine Info, tournament results: can export into image, HTML, CVS files

Notes:

• We were surprised since there are more people than expected showed their interest and use the new feature Test positions - the one we thought would be useful for small numbers of developers only. As usual, after the first implementation, we continue improving the new feature with feedback and suggestions from users

• Configuration folder: on the previous versions, BSG used only one fixed folder, inside the home folder of the user. It is simple, hide details from users but it may get trouble when the user’s folders have some Unicode characters under Windows (BSG uses some standard libraries for all OSs which may not work well with Unicode paths under Windows). For advanced users sometimes need data from that folder but it may be buried deep and hidden from file browsers, making it hard to access. From this version, users can change this folder anywhere. It is fine if they have several configuration folders and frequently change between them. They can change back to the origin at any time too. That can help users to access easier to some configuration/vital data of BSG as well as avoid issues of having Unicode paths. Users may have different folders for their different tasks. Sometimes it can work as a kind of backup too

• Local network: from this version we change seriously the design with some new limits: humans can’t play anymore (via the local network) nor watch games created by other computers (even they run with engines in their computers). The gain is that users have much more control over remote engines and those engines can run fully for almost all tasks that require engines. For more info please read the blog

• Some tables such as the tournament’s result, the cross table could be exported into HTML files. That may help to publish quickly on some websites. It can help to solve the problem of having too large tables. Users can easily display them in some web browsers, change font sizes or even re-edit them for better views, use some external tools to capture images or convert them into new formats

• Viewing chess boards as tooltips is a fun factor of this version. We hope they bring some conveniences and fun since users can view visually boards almost everywhere

Fig. 1 Vital settings info of an engine is shown as a tooltip in Engine Info panel


Fig. 2 Show the last board of a PV line as a tooltip in Engine Info panel


Fig. 3 Show the corresponding board under the mouse pointer as a tooltip in Graph panel


Fig. 4 Show the corresponding board under the mouse pointer as a tooltip in Moves panel


Fig. 5 Remote engines on a local network could be viewed and set up their options


Fig. 6 New design and implementation for playing via local network