Download this little app [ZIP, 60 KB]
Here's a simple Automator action that allows you to select multiple PDF files and combine them into one PDF document. Upon completion, it opens the resulting file in Preview so you can save it to a real location (instead of in /tmp/ where it is created).
Included are both the Automator workflow document and the resulting application.
Download this little app [ZIP, 28 KB]
This applicaton performs a simple task: it's an AppleScript wrapper to the command-line copy utility "ditto". The user is asked for three things: a source folder, a destination folder, and who should own the destination folder. This utility is particularly handy for copying the contents of another user's home directory to a new Mac, say for CWP delivery and installation or restoration from a firewire backup.
Download this little app [ZIP, 24 KB]
Here's a simple script I wrote for a specific purpose: to re-size images in several folders. You choose a top-level folder and this script will resize every folder in this folder and its subfolders to a user-selected size. This is great for reducing digital photos en masse from a huge original size to something more friendly for storage or web posting.
Download BackupEasyNDapp.zip [34 KB] here.
Date of last update: 8 June 2007
UPDATE: This has been solved. Please see http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=45310 for the solution.
I'm having some trouble with hdiutil. See all the gory details for yourself. If you have any ideas to help, please let me know!
<a href="applescript://com.apple.scripteditor?action=new&script=tell%20application%20%22System%20Events%22%0D %09set%20cur_user%20to%20name%20of%20current%20user%0D end%20tell%0D%0D display%20dialog%20%22Hello,%20%22%20&%20cur_user">open in Script Editor</a>
tell app "System Events"
set cur_user to name of current user
end tell
display dialog "Hello, " & cur_user
%20 = space
%22 = quotes
%0D = carriage return
%09 = tab
Download "RestartCiscoVPN.zip" [20 KB]
... a tiny AppleScript application that restarts the CiscoVPN service. This is particularly useful after receiving the following error:
Error 51: IPC Socket allocation failed with error fffffffffffffffch. This is most likely due to the Cisco Systems, Inc. VPN service not being started. Please start this service and try again.
The script passes the following command (with error checking and some minimal GUI interaction):
sudo /System/Library/StartupItems/CiscoVPN/CiscoVPN restart
do shell script "sudo /System/Library/StartupItems/CiscoVPN/CiscoVPN restart" with administrator privileges
if result contains "loaded successfully" then
display dialog "Cisco VPN service was successfully restarted." buttons {"Quit"} default button 1 giving up after 10
else
display dialog "There was an error restarting the Cisco VPN service. Please try again or consult your departmental IT support."
end if
do shell script "sudo -k"
Download "MailClientUpgrade.dmg" [25 MB]
... an AppleScript utility that updates Eudora to version 6.1 (if needed) and sets the correct SMTP authentication (SSL) settings for Eudora and OS X Mail. Mailboxes and address books are left untouched.
Download "Mount Netfile.zip" [20 KB]
... an AppleScript utility to mount a user's Netfile space. The primary advantage to using this script is that if users who login to multiple Netfile accounts attempt to store one or more of the Netfile passwords in the system Keychain, they will normally experience problems mounting Netfile using a different NetID. This script solves that problem while providing a simple double-click solution. No more "command-K" Connect to Server.
Download "SSM.zip" [32 KB]
Periodic Daily - removes old log files; removes scratch and junk files; backs up Netinfo data; checks subsystem status; checks mail queue; checks network connections; checks ruptime; rotates system.log file; and cleans web server log files. Normally runs every day around 3:15 AM.
Periodic Weekly - rebuilds locate database; rebuilds whatis database; and rotates several log files, namely: ftp.log, lookupd.log, lpr.log, mail.log, netinfo.log, and ipfw.log. Normally runs every Saturday at 4:30 AM.
Periodic Monthly - does login accounting; rotates wtmp install.log file. Normally runs on the first of each month at 5:30 AM.
Repair Permissions - same as running "Repair Permissions" on the startup disk using "Disk Utility". Occasionally in OS X some key file ownership and permissions get changed for whatever reason by applications and, more frequently, by program installers. When ownership and permissions get changed, things just don't work as they should. The symptoms might be programs quitting unexpectedly, preferences not being remembered, programs not launching, etc. Repair Permissions corrects the ownership and permissions according to Apple specifications. Not regularly scheduled.
This application uses "do shell script" commands to accomplish the tasks ("periodic" or "diskutil - repairPermissions") the user has selected. To do these through the command-line interface (or AppleScript's "do shell script" command) requires the use of "sudo" (super-user privilege) that requires user authentication (administrator password).
Under normal circumstances, the use of the "sudo" prefix to any command-line entry enables any user with access to the computer (either physical access or SSH access) to run other commands as the "super-user" for up to 5 minutes without having to re-authenticate with an administrator password. To avoid this sort of potential security hole, I follow each of the maintenance commands with "sudo -k", which invalidates the time stamp, thereby forcing a password to be entered if another "sudo" command is issued.
I strongly recommend that everyone running Mac OS X use the "Mail" application to check their e-mail. Eudora has problems including security holes, attachment handling, and strange file management issues. OS X Mail is very intuitive and easy to use.
Conversion from Eudora to OS X Mail is very easy. I have access to a freeware utility called "Eudora Mailbox Cleaner" (EMC) that copies all of your Eudora e-mail, including any folders you have created, into OS X Mail. EMC also imports your Eudora contacts into the OS X Address Book. In addition, if you have created any filters in Eudora, it also imports them into OS X Mail rules. I have successfully converted a number of people in FTT already because of problems they experienced with Eudora. If you are one of the stragglers still using Eudora, please call me at 1-2698 or drop me an e-mail at ScottRussell@nd.edu so I can help you make the transition.
Download Eudora Mailbox Cleaner from Andreas Amann's Freeware page http://homepage.mac.com/aamann/.
After running Andreas' script, I recommend running a script I have written to clean the OS X Address Book even further. It adds "First" and "Last" name entries based on the following formulas commonly imported into the (useless) Nicknames field from Eudora: "First_Last", "First.Last", and "First Last".
Download EudoraNicksConverter.app.zip [24 KB]
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