Add a blog post for the new release

blog/openlp-291-aka-30-alpha-2-encouraging-ephraim.rst

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+.. title: OpenLP 2.9.1 aka 3.0 Alpha 2 - Encouraging Ephraim
+.. slug: 2020/05/31/openlp-291-aka-30-alpha-2-encouraging-ephraim
+.. date: 2020-05-31 14:00:00 UTC
+.. tags: 
+.. category: 
+.. link: 
+.. description: 
+.. type: text
+.. previewimage: /cover-images/openlp-291-aka-30-alpha-2-encouraging-ephraim.jpg
+
+It has been a few months since the first alpha release and now the time has come for the next alpha release. We expect
+to have implemented most of the new features that will be in the upcoming 3.0 release, so the next release will be a
+beta release, marking the shift to focus on bugfixes and stability.
+
+Do note that this is an alpha release and as such it is not suitable for "production use". There will be serious bugs.
+There will be crashes. There is a high risk of data loss. That being said, we hope you will test this release and
+report any findings to the forums or issue tracker. It is recommended to use the portable build/mode (download the
+portable build for Windows, or use the -p command line argument on Linux or macOS) if you do not want to affect
+existing install.
+
+**Release highlights:**
+
+* Fixed planning center plugin
+* New service file format (faster loading of presentations from service file)
+* Web remote and web complete
+* Songs with Media backgrounds
+* Media now supports live streams via cameras or VLC IP streams
+* Changes to internals which improve the start up time 
+* Tons of bugfixes.
+
+
+    Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your
+    God is with you wherever you go.
+
+    Joshua 1:9 ESV
+
+
+Full changelog:
+
+* Remove a traceback on exiting OpenLP
+* Add back toolbar separator
+* Fix biblegateway webpage parsing
+* New API method to return current theme
+* Use single method to set service items via both position and uuid
+* Update tests to match above new features
+* Fix issue where chords were not being returned to the API
+* Fix the clear/backspace icon (the old one doesn't exist in Debian)
+* Clean up Apis and remove duplicate files
+* Add new API to help testing
+* Fix a traceback to wrongful path to string convertion
+* Correctly hide network stream button in the theme background page.
+* Fix traceback in the FTW due to the mainwindow (which is not yet created) being used
+* Updated translations
+* Change server send correct files for new web-remote
+* Change live toolbar to use radio buttons
+* Removed the live -> preview button
+* Simplified button handler functions (removing duped code)
+* Set new showScreen shortcut to spacebar
+* Removed desktopScreenEnable button and shortcut
+* Liveworship import change
+* New service file format
+* Fix errors in translatable texts
+* Logging and Powerpoint fixes
+* Fix loading optical and streaming items from servicemanager
+* Always use transparency when going to desktop
+* Fix loading PDF items from the servicemanager
+* API improvements
+* Deploy to PyPI when a tag is created
+* Make OpenLP download version files from get.openlp.org
+* Fix theme image transparency
+* Remove global background
+* Fix slow preview after fetching live image
+* Add missing theme functionality
+* Download the web remote as part of the FTW
+* Add version checking for the web remote
+* Always order the authors when exporting to OpenLyrics
+* Fix core/logo hide on startup setting
+* Fix display stuck as hidden and invert transparent display setting
+* Fix up the formatting of the contents of the help box
+* Fix presentation load from service file
+* Fix some race conditions
+* Remove calls to ImageManager (which no longer exists)
+* Fix a crash in the remote API
+* Add basic theme API
+* Refactor deployment away from the web server thread
+* Refactor the web remote settings tab
+* Provide a way for threads to show an error message to the user
+* Fix an issue where multiple zeroconf services were being run instead of a single instance on multiple addresses
+* Refactored the DownloadProcess dialog
+* Always return a list when searching in the API
+* Fix error when adding songs from services
+* Fix song editor crash - don't call a non existent function (create_slides on a service item)
+* Add support for network streams
+* Don't reload images on start (they are already loaded)
+* Update Reveal.js to 3.9.2
+* Fix vertical positioning on text slides
+* Fix common settings crash
+* Deregister screen-updates to the theme widget when it closes.
+* Fix missing / incorrect copyright
+* Update remote API to use Flask, and be more RESTful
+* Made the Bible and song import more robust.
+* Properly detect chords, support >5 optional splits
+* Change Structure of OpenLP and move a test
+* Fix bibleserver integration.
+* Migrate setting definitions to Core from plugins
+* Handle git styled version tags/hashes instead of bzr
+* Fix planningcenter traceback
+* Fix minor stuff detected by pylint.
+* Create a Theme Preview dialog, plus some theme background fixes.