On WakeRun, open or launch AppleScripts, files or applications on computer wake, login or startup. |
On WakeRun, open or launch AppleScripts, files or applications on computer wake, login or startup. |
Missing Link |
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4/28/08
While Missing Link is still available for download, it is not believed to work on Leopard (OS X 10.5.x), and is not likely to be updated for Leopard. Those interested in the utility of Missing Link may want to have a look at Apple's Webpage Helper, which can be freely modified to approximate Missing Link's capabilities, and works on 10.5.x, as well as 10.4.x. Thanks for your interest in Missing Link. Peter Bunn DescriptionMissing Link is a simple utility that allows you to open, run or launch almost anything on your Mac from a link or a bookmark in a browser... or from links in Cocoa applications that support HTML.Files, folders, applications, script applications, compiled scripts and a variety of other file types may be linked on disk much like items are linked on the web - the URL format is very similar. But when clicked, linked items behave just as if they had been double-clicked in the Finder. Images and text files open in their associated applications (rather than the browser), ready for editing. Compiled scripts may (optionally) be run from links... or opened by their associated editor instead. Missing Link also has the ability to pass arguments or parameters from the HTML 'get' method to AppleScript handlers. Missing Link works uniformly with most browsers on Mac OS X... and most Cocoa applications that support HTML. The 'Quick Link' droplet script (provided) writes links or simple HTML indexes for almost anything dropped on its icon and offers five formats. A one-time manual installation is required. ----- Version 2.3b3 is incrementally improved over v2.3b2 and includes these refinements: -- Improved parameter handling. -- Support for UTF-8 page encoding. |
DownloadPeter Bunn |
DocumentationInstallation & Use (Users who downloaded and tried the Missing Link v2.1b, 2.3b or 2.3b2 demos should trash those versions and start fresh, as there may be a conflict with v2.3b3.) Open the missinglink23.zip archive. The Missing Link application may be placed in the Applications folder of the startup disk or the user's Applications folder... or, it can 'live' in the Missing Link Folder of the download. Use third-party utilities More Internet or MisFox to enable the Missing Link application as a new protocol helper for 'MissingLink'. (The protocol name is actually case insensitive, so all lower case may be used instead.) Write a test URL in the form: MissingLink:Users/username/subfolder/folder/ or... MissingLink:Users/username/subfolder/file ... using actual path names. Test the link in your browser. On first use, you will likely get a warning that this is the first time you've run Missing Link... click 'Open' to dismiss the dialog. The dialog should not appear again. Individual browsers may present similar warnings on first use, but offer settings not to show them again. Missing Link has three preferences which can be set by double clicking on its icon - whether to use the Security option (see 'About Security' below), whether to run compiled scripts from links (or open them in their associated editor instead), and/or whether to close (already open) Finder windows during use. Otherwise, Missing Link stays in the background, and never shows in the Dock. When running, it uses few system resources. It can be quit by double clicking on its icon and choosing 'Quit Missing Link'. ----- Quick Link The Quick Link application is an easy way to write reference links... just drag an item to it and it will create a link to the dragged item (or items) and write a simple 'Index.html' file to the desktop. Scripts and applications are aliased to a user named folder within the Missing Link folder of the Application Support folder of the Library folder of the user's home folder. Links for scripts and applications point to the alias, rather than the actual script or application. Users > username > Library > Application Support > Missing Link > user named folder > script & app aliases Quick Link will write links to items anywhere on disk, but ONLY items (or aliases to items) residing in the current user's home folder (or subfolders) may actually be opened from links. As above, aliases to scripts or applications elsewhere on disk may be linked, but only if they are aliased using Quick Link or the full path to the alias is provided in the URL. Double click Quick Link's icon to set defaults for the link format, Security options, user script and app alias folder, and whether to launch either TextEdit or Safari (or neither) with each use. A single folder's contents may be linked all at once by dragging it to Quick Link. Selections of multiple folders or mixed files and folders will result in the folders being linked as folders - their contents will not be linked. No further recursion is implemented. Selections of dragged items and the contents of single folders are sorted alpha-numerically by name in the 'Index.html' page. Image proof sheets and image catalogs may be made by selecting the appropriate link format in Quick Link's Default settings. Thumbnails are generated from the original images and appear in the 'Index.html' page. Quick Link's output is not glamorous, but links may be copied and pasted into any other text or HTML editor for use in other pages. Again, defaults for link format, Security, script and app alias folder and an option to launch TextEdit or Safari with each use can be made by double clicking Quick Link's icon. Copies of Quick Link may be made with different default settings for each copy. ----- General Quick Link and Missing Link both 'correct for' spaces in file and folder names when writing or launching URLs. Some browsers are tolerant of spaces in URL paths, some are not. Quick Link encodes international characters 'on the fly' when items are dragged to it's icon. Quick Link may be duplicated and/or renamed (and defaults set) for each copy. Missing Link should not be duplicated, as it needs to be 'unique' to the system. Missing Link has been tested on Mac OS X 10.4.3 with Safari (2.0.2), Firefox (1.5.0.7), and Camino (1.0.3). It is not guaranteed to work with other browsers, but it probably will. ----- 'Extras' Missing Link has the ability to pass arguments or parameters from the HTML 'get' method to AppleScript handlers. This ability is described in more detail in the 'Extras' folder in the Missing Link Folder. ----- About Security Missing Link uses an optional Security system which is off by default, but may be activated by setting defaults in both Missing Link and Quick Link. If Security is enabled, a randomly generated code is inserted in every link Quick Link creates. It must match the Security Code set in Missing Link or the link won't open (without user consent to bypass Security for an individual link). Double click Missing Link and follow prompts to set a Security Code, then double click Quick Link, follow the prompts and paste the code into Quick Link's Security defaults. ----- Caution & Disclaimer Missing Link is intended only for local use. It is possible to upload a typical 'Index.html' page with Missing Link URLs to a web server... and the links will work... but this has novelty value only and risks revealing details of your computer's directory structure to the world at large. NEVER reveal your Security Code on the web. Change it immediately in your default settings if you should mistakenly do so. NEVER make the Missing Link folder of the Application Support folder your downloads folder. The end user of Missing Link accepts ALL responsibility for ensuring system security. ----- Addenda This version of Missing Link has been deliberately 'hobbled' for a variety of reasons. Missing Link's capabilities extend well beyond this 'limited edition'. Feel free to write me if you have specialized needs for similar utility. Extended support for Missing Link is not offered at this time. However, I'm happy to answer (most) questions and welcome (most) comments. Thanks. Peter Bunn --------------- ------------------------- |