V2 Sneak Peek: Refining the Preferences

One of the big benefits of doing a major release and, in fact, a thorough rewrite of Alfred is that it has allowed us to rethink many of the basic aspects of the software. In version 2, a great example of this is the reorganisation of the Features preferences.

Finding features more easily

As v1 grew organically over three years, with features added over time, we'd often get users asking "Where can I find feature option x?", even though the feature options were there. Let's face it, the features preferences had become a bit messy.

With a clear view of what v2 would contain, Andrew was able to restructure the preferences to make the grouping much more logical and approachable for a new user, while keeping the advanced preferences that suit many of Alfred's current users. One of the many examples of this reorganisation is visible in how web and custom searches are now merged together.

Web searches and Custom searches

Previously, the web searches and custom searches were split between two tabs. They essentially serve the same purpose; launch a search with a keyword and open your most used websites, with or without a query.

They're now consolidated into a single tab which can be both searched and filtered. You can hide the default web searches you've disabled or type to find the searches you're interested in.

Every preference pane is receiving the same careful love and attention to ensure that using v2 is as natural to use as possible.

Time to relax and have a mince pie

Over Christmas, we'll be spending less time online and more with family and friends. This means that it may take us a little longer than usual to respond to your tweets and emails - but we'll keep an eye out for any urgent emails, of course!

2012 has been a brilliant year, and 2013 promises to be even more exciting. Have a great Christmas, take a break so that we can all start the new year with renewed energy!

Cheers,
Vero