This is the biggest update in a while. It includes some of the most requested features, the first of which was a major endeavor to implement. But it's worth it, because now you can:
Save, Load, and Modify Graphs
Now, when you are logged in as a Boost subscriber, the settings you used to create the graph are automatically saved with the graph when you save with the Download button. Later, you can use the new Load a Graph item from the navigation bar to reload the graph and make whatever changes you wish.
But I'm a Standard subscriber? Can I upgrade to get this?
Absolutely. You can upgrade through your Account page once you log in. Just pay the difference between Boost and Standard, pro-rated for the amount of time left on your subscription. For example, if you have six months left on your subscription. you would pay $5, or half of the $10 difference between the subscription levels.
Hide a Plot without Removing It
If you have a plot that you wish to hide temporarily, you can do that now. Instead of removing the plat entirely, you can click Hide on the plot command bar to make the plot invisible. When you click Show to return the plot to your graph, the settings will be just as you left them.
More Legible Texts
Some users noted that it took some extra effort to read graph labels when they were printed over grid lines. Therefore, by default, labels are now displayed with a small gap around them so the grid lines do not touch the labels.
While this gap is now the default because it works better for accessibility, this option can be turned off in the Customize page.
Customization Works Differently
Previously, custom styles you entered replaced the built-in styles in the menus. But now that you can save, load, and therefore share your graphs, it makes sense to keep some standardized settings. Therefore, any custom colors, line widths, etc. that you enter will appear in the menus in addition to the built-in styles rather than in place of them. In most cases, any custom settings you entered that were different from the built-in settings should be migrate automatically.
Expanded Favorites Settings
Now you have more granular control over some settings on the Favorites page. You can now set a favorite text style for each caption and annotation individually, and you can set favorite margin settings as well.
Better Dragging for Grid Line Labels
Labels for the grid lines along the x-axis no longer move horizontally when you drag them with the mouse, saving you the annoyance of lining them back up with the grid lines after you position them vertically. Similarly, grid labels along the y-axis no longer move vertically when dragged.
If, however, you actually want to move the x-labels horizontally (or the y-labels vertically, you still can. If you use the keyboard nudge method (while holding the right mouse button to select the text, use the arrow keys or W/A/S/M keys to nudge the text into place), then GraphFree will know that you really do intend to move the labels that direction and let you do it.
Bite-Sized Tutorial Videos
The tutorial and demonstration videos on the tutorial video page are now shorter, and there are more of them. Many of the answers to common support questions can now be found quickly on this page.
Polygon Data Entry
You can now choose to enter the coordinates for a Polygon Plot in one long list, just as you can for scatter plots. While it's still easier to find spot errors when entering individual points (and faster if you use the tab key to move from input to input), the long list input lets you cut and paste points from an external source.
Improved Number Line Appearance
The tick marks on the number line are longer, making them more obvious, especially with larger style widths.
The line width of brackets and parentheses (used for endpoints, not in text) now matches the width of the interval line itself for a more harmonious appearance.
High-Resolution Downloads
Boost subscribers can now download the same graph in either standard resolution (96 ppi) or print resolution (300 ppi).
A Note About the PPI
Before the high-resolution download option, GraphFree's downloaded images did not specify a PPI value. Now, a PPI value is included in the metadata for all downloaded graphs, both standard and high-resolution. Going forward, this will help other programs interpret the images consistently, so that graph and font sizes will be more consistent across platforms.
The majority of users shouldn't notice this change at all, since word processors, etc. typically use 96 ppi as a default anyway. However, some programs use 72 ppi as a default. In such programs, graphs produced with GraphFree may look smaller than they did before. I understand that this could be jarring in the short term, but it seems better to make the adjustment once now than to risk inconsistency over the long term.
Fixes
A couple of Boost settings were found not to work for people on team memberships with more than 10 users. That has been fixed.
The save and load process initially garbled some special characters in texts, specifically those with decimal Unicode values above 39321. Now you should be able to use just about any character the font supports without issue.
I fixed a bug that sometimes prevented shading from showing on a polar grid.
I fixed a bug that sometimes prevented changing the dash style from dashed to solid.