There is a major update (v9) to the ChemDoodle Web Components library today. Please see below for changes. We also created a brand new website to show off the new update, which is responsive, high-resolution and much measier to navigate. Proprietary customers should see updates to their custom builds in their customer portal. As always, if you have any questions, suggestions or bug reports concerning iChemLabs software, please contact us.

Executive Summary

Version 9 is a major update to the ChemDoodle Web Components library. There has been a complete refactor of the library to ES6 best standards. The sketcher and editor UIs have been improved with SVG button icons. New Cloud features include advanced CIP stereochemistry support, reaction equation balancing, and stereochemistry enforcement in mechanism matching. The ChemDoodle Web Components website has been recreated to be responsive, much easier to read, and support high-DPI displays for clarity.

Additions

  1. The entire library has been refactored for ES6 best practices. Most importantly, we now use let variable declarations instead of var. The strStartsWith() function in the Extensions package has been removed. UI buttons now define input types. Legacy IE support (and Google Chrome Frame) has been dropped. IE11 is still fully supported using certain internal polyfills, but we recommend IE users switch to Microsoft Edge.
  2. The 2D sketcher now uses SVGs for icons instead of PNGs, so they are crisp and clear on all devices at all resolutions, matching the graphics from the components.
  3. The internal jQuery library has been updated to version 2.2.4.
  4. The VisualSpecifications class has been refactored to Styles to match the change in our desktop software, and also require less typing from developers. The Canvas.specs parameter is now Canvas.styles. The ChemDoodle.default_ specs have been replaced by a ChemDoodle.DEFAULT_STYLES Styles class object. See the Styles tutorial for more information.
  5. You can now resolve advanced CIP stereochemistry configurations using Cloud services. Our CIP libraries are fast and accurate and support both chiral and double bond centers. See it in action using the Resolve CIP Stereochemistry demo.
  6. You can now balance both drawn reactions and typed equations using Cloud services. Our balancing algorithms can handle any input that can be balanced using a proprietary algorithm. See it in action using the Balance Reaction demo.
  7. We have added support to the Mechanism Matching demo to show stereochemical configuration enforcement in matching through our Cloud services.
  8. You can now easily create transparent ChemDoodle Web Components by setting the backgroundColor style to 'transparent'. This works for both 2D and 3D components. See this Transparent Backgrounds tutorial for more information.
  9. A proprietary feature has been added where if a text string is input with a space, then it will be rendered as typed, left aligned, instead of chemically formatted.

Fixes

  1. Adding lone labels would sometimes be impeded by dragging and moving the document, this is made easier by giving a 3 pixel leeway in dragging gestures before cancelling a lone atom placement.
  2. Corrected the rendering of the wavy bond type.
  3. Restored interactivity of the ChemDoodle Web Components on iPads using iOS 13+.
  4. Reversed the Canvas3D and PerspectiveCanvas scroll directions to make them more intuitive.
  5. Fixed issues with loading optimized PDB files from Cloud services.
  6. Fixed issue with UIs where the initial button selection would autofocus causing the webpage to load scrolled to the button.
  7. Defined the button and table sizes for UIs so that they are not as vulnerable to external CSS.
  8. Fixed error in highlighing of the help button in EditorCanvas3D.
  9. Fixed watermark rendering for EditorCanvas3D on high DPI devices.
  10. Fixed issue where initializing a component over an existing canvas with defined size did not properly respond to screen DPI.