ARC 2026.04.11.00 (Pro, Runtime And Free)

This update is packed with polish, performance, and a whole lot of "finally, that’s fixed!" moments. Let’s dig in

EZ-B Emulator Gets Smarter

The EZ-B emulator just leveled up with improved debugging and rock-solid stability. It’s now a better playground for testing without surprises.

Boot Logs Now Where You Actually Need Them

Boot logs are no longer hiding in a file somewhere - they now show up directly in the debug log so you can see what’s happening in real time.

Blockly Crash-Proofing Upgrade

Ever had Blockly explode because of a weird character in a name? Not anymore.

User-facing strings (control names, actions, filenames, variables, etc.) are now safely escaped before being sent to the browser. Special characters like quotes, slashes, and even sneaky Unicode line separators won’t break your UI anymore.

Servo Selection Just Got Friendly

Blockly now shows human-readable servo names in port selection - pulled from:

• Project Options (port summaries)
• 3D Bit Designer

No more guessing what port does what.

Deep Stability & Memory Cleanup

A whole bunch of behind-the-scenes fixes to keep ARC running smoother and longer:

• Fixed multiple null reference crashes
• Eliminated resource leaks (Registry, Graphics, SerialPort, Images, ColorDialog, etc.)
• Fixed UTF-8 encoding issues (no more broken non-ASCII text)
• Improved error handling across key forms and systems
• Corrected plugin GUID handling (no more sending full paths by mistake)

Navigation Messaging System Overhaul

Major improvements for performance and thread safety:

• Fixed race conditions in event handling (no more random crashes)
• Atomic frame counting using Interlocked
• O(1) queue clearing (huge performance win)
• Reduced allocations during scan processing

This makes navigation data handling faster, safer, and more scalable.

Blockly + Scripting Evolution

• Blockly blocks now link directly to their online manual pages
• Groups are now sorted by category (Blockly, JavaScript, Python)
• Added group type dropdown selection
• Early support for multi-language activities (Blockly, Python, JavaScript )

UI Improvements & Polish

• Theme manager now has cleaner contrast for a less busy look
• Number input control now supports 4-direction dragging
• Added helpful text explaining the virtual servo option
• Removed unused legacy number drag direction code

Education Tools Expanding

• Edu Activity Editor now supports lesson types
• Foundation laid for richer, multi-format learning experiences

Small Fixes That Matter

• Prevented crashes from null UI selections
• Fixed serial port cleanup on failure
• Cleaned up unused references and legacy code paths

Summary

This release is all about stability, clarity, and future growth:

• Fewer crashes
• Better debugging
• Faster systems
• Smarter UI
• And groundwork for multi-language learning