I’m not big into tagging but the support added to Mavericks has me interested enough to give it a try. I wanted a quick way to add or reset tags on files in the Finder so I decided to make a Keyboard Maestro macro that uses the Python script from Jonathan Wight.1
To get started, download and install the script as described. Next, make some Keyboard Maestro macros. These two macros operate on selected files in the Finder and are nearly identical except for the method call in the shell script.
Exedore is a new Python IDE for Mac. It’s basic but native. It’s also made by the developer of Fluid and Fake, which I also like. It’s $10 and not in the Mac App Store. What’s not to like?
My initial impression: a nice addition to CodeRunner. Worth $10 for the break point support.
Here’s a quick MailMate tip to customize the mailbox view. I have a structured mailbox with several levels of folders. However, there are some folders that I want quick access to without digging. MailMate’s Smart Mailboxes solves this.
Create a new Smart Mailbox and select the source. Choose a nested IMAP folder and now you can hoist the Smart Mailbox to any level of your sidebar without actually moving the source folder.
I really like Keyboard Maestro but the interface to macros is in dire need of updating. It’s just too cumbersome to load palettes and then find the specific macro to execute. There’s also too much keyboard shortcut dependency for my old brain.
Thankfully Alfred can now trigger Keyboard Maestro macros by name. This is a major leap forward.
NOTE: Sadly, the workflow still chokes on Mavericks.
By way of Jeff Hunsberger.
There is never a day that I’m not interested in terminal one-liners. Here’s a basic collection for today.
I think it’s by way of Dr. Bunsen
Here’s another dumb tip that’s too good to not love. I don’t dictate much1 but when I need to know how to spell a common word on iOS or my Mac, the easiest way to look it up is through dictation.2
On a Mac running Mavericks, enable off-line dictation in the preferences. Use the Enhanced Dictation option for best results. Also be sure to check which microphone source you are using.
It’s dumb but very helpful. This short Keyboard Maestro macro is a fix for forms that do not allow direct pasting of text.1 For example, some web forms require you to type in a password or phone number rather paste. Whatever the reason, this macro accomplishes a paste by typing each character. I think the macro is self explanatory.
UPDATE: I noticed the clever TJ Luoma also wrote about a similar macro for removing formatting from text.
My tryst with the Sonos wireless speaker system continues. One of my earlier frustrations involved an extreme edge case. I want to use my Synology NAS as the iTunes library source, instead of my Mac. Luckily the Sonos forums are pretty good.1
Here’s the procedure (for the 3 people that actually care):
Go to the Synology Control Panel and open the Win/Mac/NFS settings.
Turn on Enable Windows file service. You can mess with the detailed settings but here are mine:
The MailMate funding goal was reached within the first 6 days. There are still 30 days left in the campaign. Each additional $5,000 buys one solid month of development on MailMate 2, so if you haven’t done so, consider what you value in an email client and maybe make a donation.
For me, MailMate is worth many times the price. I donated $100 on top of the price I paid for the 2.
An Internet chum asked me about this one and I figured it was a common enough need that I’d share it.
In MailMate, you can redefine the default Find parameters. Hit Opt+CMD+F to open the “Find in all Mailboxes” field. By default MailMate does not search message bodies. Change that. Then go back to the Find menu and choose “Use as Default Search.” Now, every time you trigger the Find command it will use your preferred method.
