Release notes

To do

• Support of additional texture formats
• Handle Linear/sRGB vertex color format
• Add logging information to NetImgui Server Application
• Add new Dear ImGui multi windows support (docking branch)
• Commands to assign custom backgrounds
• Add compression to data between Client and Server
• Support of monitor DPI
• Add copy/paste support

Version 1.10

(2023/12/30)

• API Changes
  • ConnectToApp() and ConnectFromApp() functions now accept a callback to be used by the NetImgui Server when wanting to update the font to a specific DPI scale.
    • Can be left untouched, with null used by default.
    • Without a callback, we apply the text scaling to ImGuiIO.FontGlobalScale instead of requesting the generation of a new font with increased pixel size.
    • Using ImGuiIO.FontGlobalScale gives a blurier text result than recreating the font with the exact DPI needed.
    • See SampleFontDPI for more info.
  • SendDataTexture() now support a new texture format kTexFmtCustom.
    • It requires that the dataSize parameter is specified since we can't deduce it anymore (but not used for other formats)
    • It allows user to send a texture command with custom data that also needs to be added to NetImguiServer codebase.
    • This could be used for movie streaming, etc...
    • See SampleTexture for more info.
• Upgraded Dear ImGui support to 1.90
• Added monitor DPI support
  • The Server now scale the text up on a high resolution monitor, so it can still be read
  • The Server font atlas is regenerated with a higher pixel size to match the resolution
  • The Client connected will be asked to regenerate their font atlas if they provided a callback when connecting
    • When this callback is received, the client codebase should regenerate the font atlas using the provided scale
    • When no callback has been assigned, the client automatically relies on ImGuiIO.FontGlobalScale when drawing (blurier results)
    • See SampleFontDPI for more info.
• Added Clipboard support
  • Can now seamlessly use text clipboard between Client and Server!
  • Text copied on the Server PC is now sent over to the NetImgui Clients and can be pasted inside their Dear ImGui content
  • Text copied inside the Client's Dear ImGui content is now received by the Server PC and can be used on it
• Shared Client configs
  • When adding a Client configuration on the NetImgui Server application, the property Shared can now be specified
  • When enabled, it will save the config in a User Directory instead of the current Working Directory
  • This means that user can have NetImgui Server applications in various locations, but they can all still share the same Client Configs.
  • Note: Requires that the function HAL_GetUserSettingFolder() is implemented in the NetImgui Server codebase. It has been done for Windows.
• Various small changes and fixes
  • When the NetImgui Server config file netImgui.cfg is detected readonly, now tries to create a second one. This should help if user submit the default config file to perforce but still want to add new Clients.
  • Quickly typed text was dropping characters when received by Client
  • DirectX textures error when quickly recreating them

Version 1.9

(2023/05/04)

• API Changes
  • None
• Upgraded Dear ImGui support to 1.89.5
• Various small changes and fixes

Version 1.8

(2022/07/18)

• API Changes
  • None
• Dear ImGui 1.87 input event support
  • Input handling refactored to handle new Dear ImGui input event system (thanks to @lemantisee)
  • Added gamepad support
• Compatibility tests
  • Now compile simple compatibility app for each Dear ImGui version supported
  • Allows to make sure the NetImgui Server works properly against any Dear ImGui version
• Other Changes
  • 32bits support bugs fix in client code
  • NetImgui server popup now centered on main window
  • Some OpenGL fixes
  • Visual Studio 2022 LLVM support fix

Version 1.7.5

(2022/01/31)

• API Changes
  • None
• Bug fixes
  • NetImgui Server memory leak fix

Version 1.7.4

(2022/01/30)

• API Changes
  • Removed the bWait parameter from Shutdown()
    • Always wait for Shutdown completion before returning now
    • This prevents multithread data release issues
  • Added a NETIMGUI_API define prefix to functions exported in NetImgui_Api.h
    • Similar to IMGUI_API, allows library user to control dll import/export
    • Takes the same value as IMGUI_API by default
• Bug fixes
  • Compression feature causing some out of sync issue with NetImgui Server
  • 32bits index support crash

Version 1.7

(2022/01/10)

• API Changes
  • Added SetCompressionMode(...) / GetCompressionMode(), allow library user to manage the data compression feature
    • By default, Client relies on Server Setting
• Data Compressions Support
  • Drawing data generated by the Client can now be compressed before being sent to Server
    • Greatly reduce the bandwidth between Client/Server at a negligible cost on the Client
    • Using Delta Compression. The draw data usually vary little from previous frame. Sending only the changed bytes produce great results at low overhead
  • Highly dynamic UI content lower improvements
  • A new sample (SampleCompression) demonstrate the use of data compression and its metrics
    • At 30 Fps, data rate send from client goes from ~ 3400 KB/s to ~ 22 KB/s (~ 160x improvement !)
    • Since it depends on static content, moving around a Window reduce the benefits
• Other Changes
  • Added OpenGL3 support to NetImgui Server
    • Still DirectX11 by default
    • OpenGL3 support helps with the Server Application port to non Windows OS
    • To enable, set HAL_API_PLATFORM_GLFW_GL3 define to 1 and HAL_API_PLATFORM_WIN32_DX11 to 0
  • Added support for Visual Studio 2021
  • Support up to Dear ImGui 1.86 has been tested

Version 1.6

(2021/08/09)

• API Changes
  • None
• Other Changes
  • Mostly some small bug fixes
  • Fixed issue with keyboard input
  • Fixed 16/32bits index handling (NetImgui Server app now handle both case without recompiling)

Version 1.5

(2021/05/30)

• API Changes
  • None
• Other Changes
  • Mostly some small bug fixes
  • Reduced NetImgui server CPU/GPU usage
  • Better handling of NetImgui server's window move between 4K and lower resolution monitors

Version 1.4

(2021/03/13)

• API Changes
  • Added SetBackground(...) letting user configure the client window background appearance
    • The new sample SampleBackground demonstrate its usage.
  • Removed support of empty API functions when NETIMGUI_ENABLED is false
    • Keeps NetImgui client code clutter to minimum.
• New
  • Auto interception of Dear ImGui ImGui::NewFrame() / ImGui::Render()
    • Using Dear ImGui 1.81's Callbacks support, replacing theses Dear ImGui functions call with NetImgui::NewFrame() / NetImgui::EndFrame() can now be avoided
    • This means less changes to existing codebase wanting to use NetImgui, only requiring a single call to :
      • Startup
      • Shutdown
      • ConnectToApp or ConnectFromApp
    • However, calling directly NetImgui::NewFrame() / NetImgui::EndFrame() has the additional benefit of being able to skip drawing when not needed

Version 1.3

(2021/01/22)

• API Changes

  • Removed parameter from NetImGui::ConnectToApp() / NetImGui::::ConnectFromApp() to clone the current context. NetImgui now only uses the Dear ImGui Context that was active when requesting a connection, without internally using other contexts.

• New

  • Complete refactor of the NetImguiServer application.
    • Now relying on Dear ImGui's backend for the renderer and OS support.
    • Other platform's specific functions have all been cleanly abstracted.
    • This means that porting the server application to other platform should be straightforward.
    • Copy/paste from Server to Client support. From Client to Server is still up to the user engine.
  • Complete refactor of the NetImguiServer application UI.
    • Now relying on 'Dear ImGui' docking branch to draw the user interface.
    • Can display multiple connected client's windows at the same time, and they can be docked / moved around as user sees fit.
    • Can now specify a display refresh rate for the connected clients.
  • Single header include support.
    • For user wanting to minimize changes to their project, it is now possible to only include NetImgui_Api.h after declaring the define NETIMGUI_IMPLEMENTATION, and all needed source files will also be added for compilation.

Version 1.2

(2020/08/22)

• API Changes
• NetImGui::NewFrame() / NetImGui::EndFrame() should always be used, even when disconnected
• NetImGui::ConnectToApp() / NetImGui::::ConnectFromApp() take a new parameter, telling netImgui to continue using the same context or use a duplicate
• NetImgui::Connect() replaced by NetImgui::ConnectToApp() / NetImGui::ConnectFromApp()
• NetImgui::IsRemoteDraw() renamed to NetImgui::IsDrawingRemote()
• NetImgui::IsDrawing() added
• NetImgui::IsConnectionPending() added
• NetImgui::GetDrawData() added
• NetImgui::GetRemoteContext() removed
• New
• Support for connection initiated from netImgui server application
• GUI and save file support for Client configurations
• Improved samples
• Optional commandline parameter to specify Client's address for connection on netImgui Server launch
• Launching a second netImgui Server forward commandline option to already running instance
• netImgui Server application accepts Client's address request from a Windows 'named pipe'
• Bugfix
• Issue of text edition not recognizing special key strokes (navigation, delete, ...)

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Version 1.1.001

(2020/07/02)

• Added ImGui 1.77 support

Version 1.1

(2020/06/23)

• Few fixes
• Added support to Posix sockets (Unix/Mac/Android support)
• Added texture format A8

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Version 1.0

(2020/06/13)

• Initial Release
• netImgui server application
• netImgui client code (for integration into external codebase)