An update to Free Ruler

At long last, I’ve released a new version of Free Ruler.

It’s been over two years since I worked on the app because I got an App Store rejection that was really vague and I didn’t feel like dealing with it.

But this weekend, I decided to pick it up again with a little (or a lot) of help from Codex. I made a ticket to address the App Store rejection, and then had Codex analyze the app and make a series of tickets for possible improvements. Then I worked through those issues, with Codex doing most of the grunt work.

One thing I knew was sorely needed was an icon update. The previous icon was created using a custom AppIconLayout in the app itself, leveraging the ruler drawing code so the rulers on the icon were faithful to the real thing. I decided to use a more modern version of that same technique, adding a parameterized SwiftUI preview so I could use the ruler drawing code with different settings to create the new icon.

Then I had Codex create a script so I can type yarn generate:icons to create the full set of app icon assets for the app to consume at build time. So tweaking the icon is super easy and repeatable. SwiftUI as Photoshop.

Then I went a little koo-koo and applied the same technique to create updated promo images for the App Store.

These are created with more parameterized SwiftUI previews, using real ruler views and the AppIconRenderer. So if I change the app icon or ruler views, the promo images get updated automatically. All I have to do is run yarn generate:screenshots to update the images, and then upload them to the App Store.

Other features and improvements

• Added H and V hotkeys to toggle horizontal and vertical rulers on and off.
• Added a status bezel to confirm hotkey actions like grouping, floating, or toggling ruler shadows.
• Better grouping behavior for horizontal and vertical rulers.
• More reliable cursor handling while interacting with rulers.
• Smarter mouse tick polling so the app does less background work.
• Refactored tick layout and ruler drawing internals.
• Added unit tests for core ruler behavior and UI tests for ruler actions, option hotkeys, and window behavior.
• Updated localized strings, and added Japanese and Spanish localizations submitted by other contributors.
• Added Sparkle so the direct-download app can check for updates automatically.

Finally got through App Store review

I submitted the updated app to the App Store on Sunday, and got another vague rejection. Undeterred, I re-submitted today, a few hours before the WWDC keynote, and got approved in just over an hour, with no comments. 🤷‍♂️

If you need a ruler for your Mac, download Free Ruler from GitHub or the App Store.