PBS UPDATE: Version 4.1 and Usability

After Version 4.0’s release last January, we’ve continued working on PBS’ development, adding both fixes and improvements. We’re excited to share them with you, so here’s what we have up or sleeve for the Version 4.1 update.

Formatting Bar Enhancements

The latest 4.1 update revolves around the text formatting bar. Aside from resolving a lot of bug issues, we’ve also improved some stuff on the bar that should make your experience with PBS smoother and more efficient.

Color Picker Updates

In the earlier versions of PBS, the color picker had some issues that was somewhat of an inconvenience to the editing process, namely when it came to to editing text and text color. For v4.1 though, we’ve addressed the issue, and made new adjustments for hassle-free text editing.

• More color swatches for easier color-picking
• Color picker now displays transparency
• Bug fixes with regards to editing text color

Text Formatting Updates

Previously, we had some buttons that you had to click repeatedly to increase a value, then hold CTRL/CMD then click to decrease. We initially thought that this was intuitive, but users have spoken that this was not obvious. We’ve fixed those inconsistencies in this update.

• Line height now easier to access: drag the slider to adjust to your desired size, or simple input the size you want in the given space
• The font size button was split into two buttons: decrease and increase for easier usage
• Increase/decrease font size also more accessible, now with px as a unit of measurement for easier editing. Previously, it displays an “x” unit that really didn’t mean anything
• The left/center/right/justify alignment buttons are now grouped together to lessen the buttons displayed
• “Clear Formatting” button now clears the other styles (like line-height), which it didn’t do before

Horizontal Rule Improvements

Previously, the horizontal rule was posing some problems. With some themes, horizontal rules were so tiny that they were hard to click on. To fix this, we’ve removed the horizontal rule from the formatting bar and converted it into its own element. In addition to that, you can now also change the rule’s colors via the color picker.

Future Updates: What’s in Store for PBS?

Like we said, we still have new stuff (and more updates) in the works. Here’s a little sneak peak of what we have in store for you in the future:

• Google Fonts (finally!)
• We’re playing around with the idea of the text formatting bar being more than just a place to only format text. What if the buttons changed depending on the current context? For example, it would be pretty neat if a vertical alignment button appeared when you’re editing some text inside a column.

What Would You Like to See in Future PBS Updates?

We’re always down for improving PBS, so if you guys have any suggestions, hit us up! Do you have any feature requests that you’d like to add in our growing list? Anything else you think might need some adjusting in the current version? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy Site Building!