05-16-02

Even Smarter Instant Messaging by Erick Tejkowski

Michael recently posted an AOL Instant messenger tip about AIM Bots. The little creature was so popular that I decided to include it in this week's REALbasic tutorial. This week we'll build a simple little hack that will improve your "SmarterChild" experience.

Introduction

As mentioned previously, AOL Instant Messenger users will be pleased to know that there are some interesting Bots available for the chat application. Simply add a user named "SmarterChild" (no quotes) to your buddy list. Then, send a message to SmarterChild. By typing "home" (again, no quotes), the SmarterChild gives you a menu of options. One of the menu items is "Utilities". We will build a simple floating toolbar that gives you one click access to the functions in the Utilties menu.

Before you begin working with REALbasic, you first need to create a small AppleScript. Launch the ScriptEditor application and to it, add this code:

Save the script as a "Compiled Script" and name it "SmarterChildUtility".

Build the Interface

Launch REALbasic and drag the AppleScript you just created into the project window. Then, open Window1. Change the window's Frame property to "Global Floating Window".

Next, add six PushButtons to the window. Label them like this:

Give each PushButton the same name and a unique Index starting with 0 (zero):

Source Code

Double-click any one of the PushButtons to open the Code Editor and add this one line of code:

  
  smarterChildUtility str(index+1)
  

Conclusion

That's it! To test, select Debug-Run. As you might imagine, this project could be expanded to account for many more "SmarterChild" features. Hopefully this demo gets you started in the right direction. You can download the finished project here. Have fun and see you next week!

5-14-02

REALbasic News by Erick Tejkowski

RB-NUG FAQ Don't miss this handy REALbasic FAQ maintained by Chris Cummer. It answers many oft-asked questions about coding in REALbasic. Find it here.

LogPile Check out Jose R.C. Cruz' beta release of LogPile. LogPile is a system and application logging tool for OS X. As you might expect, it's Made with REALbasic.

The Weasel has moved! Seth Willits (aka "Mr. Weasel Willits"), a creator of handy REALbasic code and applications, has moved his web site. You can now find him here.

Copernicus Nic Waller has posted his a "Made with REALbasic" application, called Copernicus. Download it here.

Good Exposure - Cheap Ads! REALbasic Developer Magazine has begun selling classified ad space. The rates are extremely reasonable and 5,000 copies will be distributed at MacWorld New York this summer. Check it out!

ResPloder The La Jolla Underground has announced the immediate availability of ResPloder 1.6. New features include:

• Scriptability: ResPloder understands the verbs "explode" and "implode".
• Better handling of resource types with special characters.
• Ability to set default file types and creators for exploded files.
• Window menu.

ResPloder explodes the resources of a file into folders. The resource types become folders and the resources become files that can be edited with any hex editor. Some resource types are automatically saved in popular file formats. The data fork of the original file is also preserved.

ResPloder can implode a ResPloded folder back into a file. Drop a ResPloded folder onto ResPloder and a new file with exactly the same structure as the original file will be created. If any of the resource files in the ResPloded folder have been modified, then the changes will become part of the new file. ResPloder is free and can be found at: http://ljug.com/sw/resploder.html.

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