Archive for category Productivity
Using Python to Cleanup Excel
Posted by clark in Productivity, Python, iWork on 2010/01/21
Often you get a spreadsheet with some data that needs heavily filtered. You could try Applescript but let’s be honest. For text processing Python is so much easier. So here’s a Python script I use a lot with Excel. It’s pretty flexible following my scripting rules. It’s designed to be more a template that I then modify when the need arises.
First the code and then the comments.
Handling Difficult Printing
Posted by clark in Applescript, Automation, Productivity on 2009/11/12
So I had to print a large number of labels today. (By large I mean about 500 pages worth) The problem is, as some of you undoubtedly know, for the really good labels they are thick and you can’t print too fast. Otherwise they don’t feed through laser printers properly. (They stick together, lose their position, etc.)
If you have this problem, here’s an easy script.
Live Mesh for Snow Leopard
Posted by clark in Commentary, Productivity on 2009/10/20
OK, this excites me even more than new iMacs. Microsoft finally released a Snow Leopard compatible version of Live Mesh. Ars has the story. Live Mesh is the sort of cool technology that Apple should have made part of OSX years ago. Think of it like iDisk or its competitors but rather than syncing to a server in the cloud it syncs to your other machines via P2P technology. Effectively it’s sync done right.
If, like me, you have several machines you need data synced on then this is an application you are crying out for. I’ve been trying to use Unison or custom scripts utilizing Python and rsync but have been anything but satisfied with the results. Here’s what I really want to do with Live Mesh.
GlimmerBlocker
Posted by clark in Productivity on 2009/09/18
So most of the plugins for Safari I used to use now work with the new 64 bit Safari. Admittedly some are a tad slower than I’d like. Plus there still are a few bugs (such as the auto-play bug in ClickToFlash that plays all QT video if you have it set to take the H264 video out of Flash files) I suspect all of these will be fixed with the first round of updates.
The one plugin I still miss is an ad blocker. Someone suggested I try GlimmerBlocker. It’s unique in that it isn’t a plugin at all. However what’s kept me from using it in the past is that it is technically a proxy server that then “massages” the data going into Safari. I’ve never cared for proxy services for a variety of reasons. However the one plus to such a service is that you can modify web pages much like Grease Monkey scripts do on Firefox. (GlimmerBlocker has a page of filters you can install)
Readability
Posted by clark in Applescript, Productivity, Python on 2009/09/17
OK I can’t take credit for this one. But this is a very nice little script I picked up from MacScripter. I put both the Applescript and Python versions. I usually activate things like this with LauchBar and activate a terminal script.
The script basically takes the web page you are reading, eliminates all the extraneous graphics, increases the font size and makes an easy to read version. I love this for those blogs that inexplicably like to put light text against a dark background, use obnoxious backgrounds, or otherwise make their text illegible.
You could actually put this in as a Bookmark in Safari which will then sync it to the iPhone. While I’ve not tried that yet I suspect it would, if anything, be even more useful on your iPhone. I’d suggest going to the actual Readability page as they will let you customize it for your bookmark.
I kind of like, on the Mac, being able to map this to a command key via iKey rather than a Bookmark.
Dual Pane Finder Windows
Posted by clark in Applescript, Productivity, Python on 2009/08/02
OK, I’ve gone a few days without giving a script. I’ve been going through a lot of my old scripts and revising them somewhat. Often translating them from Applescript into Appscript + Python. This one is for an application I have on my Finder icon bar for created faux dual pane Finder windows.
All it actually does is take the front most Finder window and expands it so it covers approximately the left half of the screen. It then creates a new Finder window which covers the right half which points to the same location and uses the same view. Why? Because this is so handy when you are copying files.
Copy Addresses as Text
Posted by clark in Address Book, Applescript, Productivity, Python on 2009/07/15
This is a quick little script I wrote up today. I had a lot of requests for addresses that people wanted emailed based upon various criteria. I was trying to do this manually and quickly realized just how annoying exporting stuff from the address book actually is. All I wanted to do was generate a smart group with some search criteria and then have all that exported in a nice textual format.
Now there are lots of ways to accomplish this. I did it this way simply because it fit the criteria I had. But it might not fit yours, so feel fine adjusting it. As is typically the case, I used Python. (Simply because I think it vastly superior to Applescript the language)
Replacing Quicksilver with Launchbar
Posted by clark in Productivity, Reviews on 2009/07/13
Word around the campfire is that Quicksilver may not really work well under Snow Leopard. Some running betas say the latest version works but I’ve heard from others that there are still issues. The latest version is ß56a7 which fixes some of the issues with Snow Leopard but which has some issues compared with earlier ones. I’ve also heard that the stability is somewhat mixed. (I was running ß51 just because that was more stable than later versions I tried) Even if QS is updated more, it seems it won’t quite be the application it once was. A stable robust release from the new development team seems a ways away. (For info on the latest builds of QS check out this Google discussion group)
Anyway, I’m going to try build ß56a7 of QuickSilver but I’ve also been trying out LaunchBar which is the main competitor to QS. Thus far I’ve been pretty impressed.
ToDos, iPhone, and iCal
Posted by clark in Mail, Productivity, iCal, iPhone on 2009/06/30
I’ve reached that stage of life where things are complex enough I need to start having better ToDo management. Thus far I’ve just been sending emails to myself. I have an IMAP directory just for things I’m supposed to do. Then emails that include requests or tasks I need to do (say from a client or business partner) I can move into that directory. When I need to add a task I just write myself an email. The subject is the task and then I put an explanation as the content.
I then had a second IMAP director called Finished and when I finish a task, order, or so forth I’d put it into that directory
This has been working fine for a while but I really wanted something a little more robust. Plus things just have been getting a bit more complex. I had really, really expected Apple to add syncing ToDos along with Notes with the 3.0 software. Surprisingly they didn’t. (Which is weird since I find Notes to be fairly useless – especially with that ugly Comic Sans font)
Enter Appigo ToDo.
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Fix Tab Problem in Safari
Posted by clark in Commentary, Productivity on 2010/03/29
OSX Hints has a must read post on how to disable a LCC plugin to fix a Safari tab display problem. This is the best OSX Hint ever! I’d been batting my head against this one for months. I had blamed at various times both Glims and ClicktoFlash. I even uninstalled all plugins with no effect. I’m so glad this is fixed. I was forever closing the wrong tab accidentally because of this bug.
The big question is why I continue to use LCC when it’s had so many problems. Each new version purportedly fixes new problems but never does. I’ve looked at the alternatives but they never quite work as well. For a while I tried to go USB Overdrive only but got a bit frustrated with it. I even looked seriously at ControllerMate for a while. Yet I always end up coming back to LCC. Why is it the best mice have such bad software though?
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