Skip to content

Ace by DAISY App v1.0.0
Compare
Choose a tag to compare
@danielweck danielweck released this 05 Dec 15:59
· 163 commits to master since this release
v1.0.0
a90755e

This is version 1.0.0 of the Ace by DAISY App, the official graphical user interface for the EPUB accessibility checker developed by the DAISY Consortium. The Ace App is available for the Windows, MacOS and Linux desktop operating systems.

Total Downloads of this version



Release Notes - Summary

Here is a list of notable changes since the previous release:

  • Added Spanish and Portuguese localizations, see contributor credits in the localization wiki page.
  • Updated Axe to version 3.4.0, which now supports Spanish and Portuguese languages (same contributors).
  • The application now starts with the operating system's language, fallback to English if the locale is not supported.
  • The DAISY Knowledge Base links now correctly reflect Axe's latest set of evaluation rules.
  • Added EPUB file extension associations, so that users can double-click on publications, or "open with" from file explorer, or drag and drop onto the application icon.
  • Fixed filesystem issues related to the Ace log file, which is now uniquely allocated to Ace App (i.e. does not collide with Ace CLI anymore). Older log files are automatically cleaned up to avoid cluttering the logging folder.
  • Fixed a timing issue with some EPUB documents which was causing empty Ace reports.
  • Improved drag-and-drop support (better visual feedback)
  • Various user interface tweaks and screen reader accessibility improvements. For more information, see the additional change log below:

Release Notes - Full Change Log

Here is an additional list of notable updates since the previous release:

  • The user-chosen language is now reflected correctly in the root of the HTML user interface.
  • When the locale is changed, an already-loaded report is re-generated.
  • Improved semantic role for user interface landmarks (accessibility improvement).
  • Screen reader now receives polite ARIA live region notifications to display logging messages.
  • During multiple, successive accessibility evaluations, the state of the report table view is now reset properly (e.g. pagination).
  • The top menu bar has been fixed (some commands were failing to execute properly).
  • Fixed Axe failureSummary which was incorrectly forcing English language.
  • Fixed path issues with EPUB publication resources that use URI percent-encoding in ZIP filenames.
  • Fixed Electron/Chromium storage cleanup issue during application shutdown (content cache, HTTP server)
  • Added "nightly builds" / continuous integration and deployment of latest code (i.e. pre-release Ace App downloads)
  • Electron updated to the latest version (v7), which bundles a newer version of Chromium (the web browser engine which executes the Axe accessibility checks).
  • Updated the Ace (core) lib to its latest pre-release build.
  • Developer tools are now provided to manage localizations, verify code usage of translated labels (i.e. to help contributors create and maintain the JSON resources).
  • Developer debugging workflow improved thanks to tighter tools and sourcemap inclusion, "web inspector", React and Redux plugins, DevTron and Axe-based React UI accessibility checker, and Visual Studio Code debugger integration.
  • Updated Ace unit tests, notably: the Electron Axe runner (unlike the Puppeteer one) handles XML / XHTML publication resources correctly.

Known Issues

Please use the issue tracker to report problems, suggest features, etc.

The most notable caveats in this release are:

  • The Windows installer is not "signed" yet, therefore security warnings are displayed at installation time. The MacOS app is code-signed using a DAISY certificate, as well as "notarized" by Apple, therefore passes the operating system's trust checks. Support for Windows signing is work-in-progress (should be ready at the next release).
  • The user interface layout and the report table are currently not "responsive" (i.e. do not adapt to window dimensions), causing unnecessary scrolling. Fixes to the UI are planned for a future release.
  • The accessibility for screen reader users as well as for general keyboard usage is limited (notably: the report table). Development efforts will be put into an upcoming release to address these limitations.
  • There are issues with some menu items not being localized in languages other than the operating system's own locale, due to the application framework defaulting to the OS language.

Further Information

Documentation about the core projects (command line, HTTP interface, etc.) is available at the Ace support website. There is a dedicated subsection for Ace App.

The Inclusive Publishing hub provides useful guidance as well as higher-level marketing material.

Developers are encouraged to check the project homepage to learn more, as well as the GitHub Wiki pages.

Installation

  • MacOS: download the DMG file, open it, and drag the Ace by DAISY.app file into your Applications folder.
  • Windows: download the NSIS installer, and follow the step-by-step instructions. Please ignore the security warning messages, they are due to the application not being signed yet.
  • Linux: download the AppImage file, and double-click the icon to immediately start using the application. Alternatively, you may download the Debian package to install the app via your package manager (e.g. sudo apt install ace-gui_1.0.0_amd64.deb).

Developer Notes

The source code for this ace-gui release is tagged as v1.0.0. Under the hood, the latest pre-release build of Ace is used (version v1.2.0-beta.x). The Ace App is therefore based on a special code branch of the core Ace project, which satisfies the technical requirements of the desktop graphical user interface. This branch includes an up to date version of Axe.

More information in this developer-oriented wiki page.

Assets 6
Loading