Now that CPT 3.3 has been released with DGT support (if you can effort it you really should get one of these awesome boards!) it is about time to reveal some information about CPT 4 and posting the first screenshots.
New storage system
Certainly the biggest and maybe most important change is the use of a real database with CPT, but it gets better. CPT will support virtually any database. E.g. if you are a lucky person and have access to an Oracle or MS SQL Server then you can use it for CPT just by providing the connection string and that's it!
Of course the support of standard databases opens a new dimension for everyone who wants to run some direct operations on the data, not to mention the general advantages of using rather a professional databases than a self-written proprietary solution.
Previously CPT would hold the whole database in-memory during operations which made CPT pretty resource demanding if the database grows big and could cause some issues. CPT 4 uses very little memory and it is constant no matter how big your database becomes.
New User Interface
CPT is well known for its appealing user interface. You might be surprised, but CPT 4 is taking a big step forward. The UI has been completely re-designed having in mind the many new features and modules which are planned for CPT 4 and later versions. So now there is similar to Outlook a navigation panel:
Show big screenshot
You can see the new great ribbon control which Microsoft is introducing with Office 2007. I already fall in love with it and so will you I bet. Forget the times where you had to search for the right command in the current context just to find yourself lost in endless menus. Also the time is over where some users have toolbars which hardly take advantage of their screen resolution or vice versa, because the ribbon control is adjusting itself (small / large images etc.) and thus making the most out of the given space. Gallery controls and other nice new elements like the super tool tip (see next screenshot) are not just gimmicks, but clearly improve the experience and learning curve.
Show big screenshot
Another thing I really like about the new UI is the support of skins. Bored by the same look & feel? No problem! Just switch the skin:
Show Liquid Sky
Show London Sky
Show Lilian
Show Imaginary
Show Glass Oceans
Show Stardust
... and several more which you can see used in other screenshots in this blog like the Black or the Blue skin of Office 2007.
Extended Repertoire Concept
CPT introduced the concept of sub-repertoires which make it much easier to organize someone’s repertoire. Transpositions were discovered within a sub-repertoire, but not between different sub-repertoires. This changes with CPT.
First of all you can manage as many repertoires (!) as you like in one database. Second all sub-repertoires are automatically gathered under the folders Black and White. A sub-repertoire can have variations leading to a third level which give you additional possibilities to organize your repertoire.
Most import: No position is stored twice in the database. Even not if it is part of two different repertoires! Thus any transposition will be automatically detected. However, you are able to decide for each (sub-)repertoire which moves to exclude (this makes also sense if you play the same sub-repertoire with both colors).
The new repertoire explorer let you easily drag & drop sub-repertoires and variations (e.g. if you want to play the Sicilian with both colors you can now easily drag & drop the whole sub-repertoire under the folders black and white and then just remove those moves which you don’t want to handle for the given color).
As said before you can have more than one repertoire in one database. Do you have a blitz and a standard repertoire? Now you can easily manage them in one place and even share information between them where appropriate. You could also create a repertoire based on Kasparov games.
Show big screenshot
Show big screenshot
Game Database Support
The next version will have game database support. No longer you have to switch back and forth between CPT and a game database software. This opens a new dimension for CPT. Stay tuned for further details.
Engine Support
UCI engines will be supported with CPT 4. Some innovative new features based on rich engine support are also planned.
Charting
Do you always wanted to see some charts and reports about your repertoire? Now you will find plenty of charts and reports. For the charts you can even switch the color palette or the chart type. Check out the next screenshots:
Show bar chart
Show pie 1
Show pie 2
Show 3d pie
Printing and Export
Finally you will find full printing support in CPT 4. Everything can be printed or exported to many different formats (among them PDF and HTML).
Show preview 1
Show preview 2
Conclusion
CPT 4 is making a huge step forward. In the context of CPT 4 the predecessor feels just like two of several modules in CPT 4. The new storage system should greatly improve the user experience. If all this already sounds and looks exciting to you - stay tuned as we have just scratched the surface. We didn’t talk yet about sound recording or …
Sorry, that’s all for now. No timeline. Highest priority has quality for the new release. I don't want rush out this gem. In the future you will find more updates posted in this blog so come back frequently and let me know what you think!
Enjoy your holidays!
Stefan
P.S.: Please note that the large images of the ribbon control are stretched in the screenshots. The final version will have the correct size and thus better quality.