May 19
Jeff KelleyMiscellania AppleScript, bash, browsers, Chromium, Google, launchd, Mac OS X, open-source, scripting
I’ve been checking out the snapshots of Chromium recently, and they’re coming quicker than you can say “multithreaded web browser.” To facilitate always having the latest version, I wrote a quick LaunchAgent that takes care of it on Mac OS X. First, I have a script named ~/bin/chromiupdate:
#!/bin/bash
# Downloads the latest version of Chromium.
remove_working_dir()
{
rm -rf "${WORKING_DIR}"
exit 0
}
USER_DIR=$(dscl . -read /Users/$(whoami) NFSHomeDirectory | awk '{ print $2 }')
USER_APP_DIR="${USER_DIR}/Applications"
CHROMIUM_DIR="${USER_APP_DIR}/Chromium.app"
LATEST_URL="http://build.chromium.org/buildbot/snapshots/sub-rel-mac/LATEST"
TMP_DIR="/private/tmp"
WORKING_DIR="${TMP_DIR}/.chromium_launchd"
URL_BEGIN="http://build.chromium.org/buildbot/snapshots/sub-rel-mac"
if [ ! -d "${CHROMIUM_DIR}" ]; then
mkdir -p "${CHROMIUM_DIR}"
fi
INSTALLED_VERSION="$(defaults read "${CHROMIUM_DIR}/Contents/Info" SVNRevision)"
VERSION=$(curl "${LATEST_URL}")
if [ "${VERSION}" != "${INSTALLED_VERSION}" ]; then
logger Installed Chromium version \(${INSTALLED_VERSION}\) does not equal \
latest version \(${VERSION}\), updating now...
mkdir "${WORKING_DIR}" || exit 1
trap remove_working_dir 1 2 3 6 15
cd "${WORKING_DIR}" || exit 1
curl -O "${URL_BEGIN}/${VERSION}/chrome-mac.zip"
unzip chrome-mac.zip
rsync -HavP --exclude="Contents/MacOS/chrome_debug.log" \
"${WORKING_DIR}/chrome-mac/Chromium.app/" "${CHROMIUM_DIR}/"
if [ "$(ps -aef | grep -i chromium | grep -v grep)" != "" ]; then
open "${USER_DIR}/Library/Scripts/Chromium Update Dialog.app"
fi
logger "Chromium update complete. Version ${VERSION} installed."
remove_working_dir
else
logger Installed Chromium version \(${INSTALLED_VERSION}\) is up-to-date. \
No action needed.
fi
exit 0
Next, I have a property list named ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.slaunchaman.chromium.plist:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC -//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd >
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Label</key>
<string>com.slaunchaman.chromium</string>
<key>Program</key>
<string>/Users/slauncha/bin/chromiupdate</string>
<key>KeepAlive</key>
<false/>
<key>StartInterval</key>
<integer>3600</integer>
<key>RunAtLoad</key>
<true/>
<key>StandardOutPath</key>
<string>/dev/null</string>
<key>StandardErrorPath</key>
<string>/dev/null</string>
</dict>
</plist>
Finally, I have an AppleScript at ~/Library/Scripts/Chromium Update Dialog.app:
display dialog "Chromium was just updated. You should restart it."
The LaunchAgent runs once an hour, checking to see if the installed version of Chromium is older than the latest snapshot. If so, it downloads it and uses rsync to copy the changes. The script places Chromium in ~/Applications, but it shouldn’t be hard to modify to put it into /Applications.
Nov 17
Jeff KelleyMac Tips Apple, browsers, Mac OS X, Safari, security, updates
Here’s a quick tip that slipped through the blogosphere (at least none of the Mac blogs I subscribe to featured it): in Safari 3.2, released last week, Apple’s added a feature from Firefox 3’s “awesome bar”: when you’re on a secure website, such as a bank’s, that has identification information, it’s displayed in green (though in Safari it’s at the top-right of the title bar). A screenshot:
Safari 3.2 adds secure website information to the title bar.
Along with a phishing filter, it looks like Safari is stepping up to the plate as a secure browser.
Oct 23
Jeff KelleyMac Tips Apple, DVD Player, external monitors, Mac OS X
By default, DVD player will exit fullscreen mode when it’s not the active application. This is a problem if you want to watch a movie on an external monitor while working on a primary monitor. To get around it, go to Preferences in DVD Player (DVD Player -> Preferences… or command + ,), switch to the “Full Screen” tab, and ensure that “Remain in full screen when DVD Player is inactive” is checked. This should achieve the desired results.
Source: MacRumors.com Forums
Jul 30
Jeff KelleyMac Tips command-line, Mac OS X, open-source, Synergy
So here’s an annoyance. Having just installed SynergyKM, a great front-end for the awesome command-line utility Synergy, launching it would result in the following prompt:
The promt you get when launching SynergyKM
To fix this, you need to remove the extended attribute com.apple.quarantine that’s on the file. Fire up Terminal and enter the following commands:
sudo xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Library/PreferencePanes/SynergyKM.prefPane/Contents/Resources/Synergyd.app
sudo xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Library/PreferencePanes/SynergyKM.prefPane/Contents/Resources/Synergyd.app/Contents/MacOS/Synergyd
That will remove the flags and prevent the prompt.
Normally, you’d only see this prompt once, but since installing it for all users changes permissions such that your user account can’t remove the attribute, it isn’t removed.
Note: This is assuming that you’ve installed it for all users. If you’ve installed it for one user, it’ll be in ~/Library, not /Library.
Update: I’ve submitted a patch to SynergyKM’s SourceForge page, so if they accept it this will no longer be an issue.
May 20
Jeff KelleyMac Tips AppleScript, convenience, Mac OS X, MacBook Pro, screen resolution, scripting
I use my MacBook Pro in a few different scenarios: by itself, plugged in to a 21” Apple Cinema Display, or plugged in to a 24” Dell 2405FPW. I’m also rather OCD; I prefer my Firefox/Safari, Mail.app, and Vienna windows to be centered, stretch from the menu bar to the top of my Dock, and be a certain width. I created a small AppleScript to auto-detect my resolution and size the windows accordingly:
tell application "Finder"
set screen_resolution to bounds of window of desktop
set screen_width to item 3 of screen_resolution
set screen_height to item 4 of screen_resolution
end tell
tell application "System Events" to tell process "Dock"
set dock_dimensions to size in list 1
set dock_height to item 2 of dock_dimensions
end tell
set desired_width to 1400
set side_space to screen_width - desired_width
set left_bound to (side_space / 2)
set right_bound to left_bound + desired_width
set bottom_bound to screen_height - dock_height
set top_bound to 22 (* for the menu bar *)
try
tell application "iTunes"
activate
set the bounds of the first window to {left_bound, top_bound, right_bound, bottom_bound}
end tell
end try
try
tell application "Firefox"
activate
set the bounds of the first window to {left_bound, top_bound, right_bound, bottom_bound}
end tell
end try
try
tell application "Mail"
activate
set the bounds of the first window to {left_bound, top_bound, right_bound, bottom_bound}
end tell
end try
try
tell application "Vienna"
activate
set the bounds of the first window to {left_bound, top_bound, right_bound, bottom_bound}
end tell
end try
With that in place, I saved it as an application in ~/Applications, and put it in my Dock. Now, whenever I change resolutions, I just click the button and everything is how I like it.
To change the script, you should be able to add any application with an AppleScript dictionary that supports moving and sizing the window. The numbers I’ve used make the windows 1,400px wide, and the height that you want will depend on the size of your Dock. The script moves windows to the center, desired_width wide, and from the menubar to the Dock.
Note: I have had some trouble recently; sometimes when I change my resolution the AppleScript doesn’t pick it up. To combat this, I told the Displays System Preferences pane to keep its icon in the menu bar; when my script uses the incorrect resolution, I change my screen resolution then change it back, which is enough for the script to detect the change.
Update 2008-05-28: Made some usability changes. Details here.
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