Access Private MobileMe web galleries from iPhone
I have noticed something interesting: When visiting certain Apple websites (MobileMe sites in particular) on the iPhone, the URL is modified, with /iPhone/ being interjected. Thus the iPhone is being recognized as the originator, and the site is tailored accordingly. The problem here is that you don't necessarily get to the site you really want. For example, if you want to go to me.com, you don't get to log in there, but rather you get a page advertising MobileMe. Obviously Apple is trying to tell you that you have direct access to MobileMe through other means on the iPhone. This doesn't help if the MobileMe feature you wish to avail yourself of doesn't work on the iPhone, such as sending from MobileMe aliases or viewing subscribed calendars. Now I've noticed another instance of where this acts to your disadvantage on the iPhone. If you create a private webgallery (i.e., have it not listed in your main we...
published on Thursday, the 7. August 2008, macosxhints
Use an alias to ease resumable scp transfers
If you do a lot of downloading via scp and occasionally find yourself restarting a download that failed due to a closed connection, here's an alias that can help. Add the following to your user's ~/.profile file to create a "resumable scp downloading command: alias scpresume="rsync --partial --progress --rsh=ssh" This command uses rsync, and sets options for resumable transfers (--partial), displaying a progress bar (--progress), and insures that the transfer will be made using secure shell (-rsh=ssh). To use the command, open a new shell after saving your modified .profile file, and then type scpresume in place of scp in your normal transfer command. [robg adds: I added detail to the original hint submission, so I apologize if I got some of the details on the rsync options incorrect.]
published on Monday, the 14. July 2008, macosxhints
10.5: Easily create Quick Look viewable log file aliases
Here's an easy way to keep an eye on console log files. Launch Console.app, then drag any of the log files you'd like to monitor from the sidebar to your desktop. This creates an alias to that log file, which you can then easily access by double-clicking it. For even faster access, though, you can use Quick Look on the alias -- just select it and tap the Space Bar, and up comes a Quick Look window of that log file.[robg adds: You can only drag files from the Log Files section of the sidebar, not the Log Database Queries section -- these are more like Smart Folders for log files.]
published on Wednesday, the 25. June 2008, macosxhints
Create aliases to icons via a Perl script
Often I read the question "Where are all the icons on my Mac?" Here is the answer, in the form of a Perl script. Just copy and paste the below code into a new file, save it as something (findOSXicons) to a directory in your path, and make it executable (chmod 755 findOSXicons). Then use the usual techniques to start the script (i.e. calling it using the full or relative path). Here's the code: #!/usr/bin/perl use strict; use warnings; use Getopt::Long; use Pod::Usage; use File::Find; use File::Basename; # here we store the results my $target=$ENV{'HOME'} . '/Desktop/OSX-Icons'; # you may change the extensions to use my @extensions= qw( icns ); ###### POD ######################...
published on Tuesday, the 24. June 2008, macosxhints
Ease Mac OS / Windows Boot Camp switching
I use a 2.33Ghz MacBook Pro as the main workhorse for my production business, and I have Windows XP SP2 installed via Boot Camp to run some Windows-only software that I need to run natively (ie not in Fusion or Parallels). However, I soon tired of switching the boot disk from 10.5.2 to XP and back. So I came up with this little timesaver by putting shortcuts to the System Preferences Startup Disk panel (in OS X) and the Boot Camp Control Panel (in Windows XP) on their respective desktops and dock. It saves me a couple of steps and makes the rebooting process acceptable. In Mac OS 10.5.2, navigate to /System/Library/PreferencePanes, and find StartupDisc.prefPane. Create an alias of the StartupDisc.prefPane, and drag the alias to the Desktop or the Dock. I changed the icon to a Windows icon, and the text to Shortcut to Win XP. While in Windows XP, open the Control Panel, then right-click on the on the Boot Camp Control Panel item. Select Send to Deskto ...
published on Thursday, the 17. April 2008, macosxhints
Create a customized user-centric locate database
If you have ever used the locate command within Terminal to find a file of yours that, for instance, ends in .doc, you might find that you end up with more than 60,000 hits on your system that you didn't create, and didn't want to know about. Hence, it may be beneficial to create a user-level database for locate that searches only your local directory structure, so that you only see what belongs to you.To do this, and have my new database updated automatically, I modified a copy of the locate database update program that came with the Mac, set up a crontab to update this database hourly, and then created an alias for my local locate, called llocate. Now when I type llocate .doc , I only find 584 .doc files, and I can rest assured that they are all mine! Read on for the how-to... Step 1: Copy and modify database update program I first copied the original program to a new directory, with this command:
published on Tuesday, the 8. April 2008, macosxhints
Create sets of desktop images without duplication
I like the way Mac OS X lets you choose any album from iPhoto to use as a set of desktop background images. In particular, using iPhoto albums to create sets of images saves disk space because the same image can be displayed in multiple sets ("albums") even though it's only physically stored on disk just once. I had a number of images that I didn't want to store in iPhoto, but that I did want to use as desktop backgrounds in some sets and that I didn't want to duplicate. The solution turned out to be to simple but a little tricky. Using the Desktop & Screen Saver System Preferences panel, you can select any arbitrary folder to use for desktop backgrounds. If you fill this folder with Unix symbolic links that all have an absolute POSIX path specified for the link, Desktop & Screen Saver finds and follows each image. However, only symbolic links with an absolute path (or hard links, of course) work. Notably, Mac OS X "aliases" do not work. So, by way of examp...
published on Monday, the 31. March 2008, macosxhints
Make iMovie '08 find movies on other drives
Having eventually found time to play around with the new-look iMovie, I was infuriated by the apparent difficulty in importing movies and seeing already-created iMovie projects -- I kept getting an error code -120 whenever I attempted to import movies. Following the problem through, I discovered that iMovie will not follow aliases to an external Movies folder; I have an alias in my home directory which points to a FireWire disk. After several minutes declaring the new software "useless junk," it occurred to me to replace the alias with a UNIX soft link (ln -s). Hey presto! All my movies appear in the Project section, and I can now import clips at will. And the best bit? As far as the Finder is concerned, there's no difference at all.
published on Monday, the 11. February 2008, macosxhints
10.5: Use the Get Info window's proxy icon
Leopard's Finder Get Info panel now has a proxy icon on the panel's title bar. It can be dragged like the proxy icon in a Finder window title bar, and behaves in the same manner. Dragging while holding Option-Command will create an alias. Dragging while holding Option will copy the file if the destination is on the same volume. Just dragging to a destination on the same volume will move the file. [robg adds: You can also Control- or Command-click on the proxy icon to see the path to the chosen item. Select a spot in the path, and the Finder will open a new window showing that directory.]
published on Wednesday, the 28. November 2007, macosxhints
10.5: Create Stacks from network shares
One thing that I really miss from Tiger is having a shortcut on my Desktop to my network shared volumes, so I don't have to open a Finder window, click on share, and then select the machine or AirPort Extreme entry, and then the volume I want to access. Leopard won't let you make an alias of a network shared volume, or create one by dragging it to your desktop. What I found out, however, is that you can drag a shared volume to the dock as a Stack folder, and there it is, a direct link to your shared volume. You have to drag it to the area next to the trash; it won't work in the applications zone of the dock. It also helps when the Shared option won't even appear, and you don't remember the direct link to get to the volume through finder's Go » Connect to Server option. This happens quite often with AirPort Extreme, and now I just have to click the shortcut on the dock...
published on Tuesday, the 27. November 2007, macosxhints