Non-US App Stores had some issues – these should be resolved since the first 24 hours have passed (according to Apple).
Version 4.0.1 is pending release that fixes known issues affecting some users – if you haven’t downloaded yet, I would wait for 4.0.1.
To (partially) make up for the difficulties, I am starting a discount period for Composer upgrades.
I greatly appreciate all the kindness shown by everyone in their emails requesting support!
Some users in non-US regions have had trouble:
Apple informed me it normally takes up to 24 hours for new software to fully propagate through all regions. It’s always taken longer for international customers to gain access to new releases. But what I didn’t know was that the app itself may arrive before the In-App Purchases are available. So a user in other parts of the world may be able to download a new App, but then run into unexplained trouble trying to make purchases within the app. That has happened here. My apologies to anyone who experienced this, and I wish the App Store worked a bit more logically and transparently.
The dialog box in Composer will show you the prices, as long as the App Store is working properly in order to update the information. If you don’t see prices, quit and reopen Composer and try again. If you still don’t see prices, then you’ll have to contact Apple to find out why you can’t make In-App Purchases. It’s been longer than 24 hours so they say it should work.
If you’re having trouble, you can contact me and I can try to help you, but Apple requires you to contact them — I can’t do it on your behalf.
I’m sorry that people were affected by this. Unfortunately there is not much I can do about it other than to warn users next time not to use the app for the first 24 hours? That doesn’t seem right to me – there has to be a better solution for something as big as the App Store….
There are a couple of issues with Composer itself that have been found with the massive influx of new users:
There is a crash that affects some users when launching the App. I have submitted a fix to the App Store and am awaiting release. Hopefully later today. (This will be version 4.0.1)
Explicitly defined images don’t trigger the Sandbox helper, only relatively defined links (e.g. Image  doesn’t work, but Image ![foo][bar] where [bar]: /path/image.png appears elsewhere in the document does.) This is also fixed in 4.0.1. To temporarily fix it yourself, you only need one relatively defined image in your document to trigger the sandbox helper, and then make sure to give Composer read access to a parent folder of all of your images. Again, this will not be necessary in 4.0.1.
If you have requested that Composer sync metadata tags and macOS file tags, the file may appear empty when opened. Fixed in 4.0.1. but disable that preference (in the “Files” tab) for now. Do not save the file if it’s empty to avoid losing data.
There’s a strange issue where Composer fails to launch giving the error message “You can’t open the application ‘MultiMarkdown Composer’ because it may be damaged or incomplete”. This happens for me if I launch the app indirectly (e.g. via Spotlight), but not if I double click it in the Finder. I’m working with Apple to figure out what is happening. But for now, be sure to try different ways of launching the application if it fails for you.
If you have not yet downloaded Composer 4, I would wait for version 4.0.1 just to be safe.
I had previously announced that shortly after release, there would be a discount period to allow previous owners of Composer to purchase at a reduced price (especially those who purchased v2 in recent months).
Given the launch difficulties with the App Store, I’m starting the discount period now. The prices will be roughly 33% reduced (e.g. $9.99 instead of $14.99 for Standard, and $19.99 instead of $29.99 for Pro, in US currency – other currencies are set by Apple based on these prices.)
The discount period will run until things with the App Store have stabilized and seem to be working properly, but will run at least for 48 hours after 4.0.1 is approved.
First – thank you to everyone for being so helpful during all this. Instead of angry emails, I received a bunch of helpful messages from people who wanted to help get things working. Even from people who told me they were happy to pay for Composer even while they were having trouble because they know how helpful it has been over the years, and they are confident it will continue to be so. Words can’t express how much I appreciate everyone’s support!
Releasing a new version of software is almost always frustrating, but knowing that my effort will (eventually) result in sharing something that so many people find useful makes it worthwhile.
Keep an eye on Twitter (@MMDSoftware) if you want to be kept abreast of any other updates.