All Things...

There is a time for all things to come to an end. With that in mind, it has come time for me to stop writing for The MacTipper Blog. I've appreciated all your comments, emails, and ratings.

Thanks for reading,
MacTipper, out.

Mail Rule for Urgent Messages

The script below takes mail messages you pass to it, opens them, and then makes Mail the frontmost application. To use it, save it as a script file and place it in a safe place. (You can download a pre-compiled script file here.) Then, in Mail, create a new mail that matches certain parameters. For example, have it run if the email is from one of the text message to email gateways.

using terms from application "Mail"
on perform mail action with messages the_messages for rule theRule
tell application "Mail"
set curVolume to output volume of (get volume settings)
repeat with i in the_messages
open i
end repeat
set volume 10
say "New Text Message"
set volume curVolume
activate
return the_messages
end tell
end perform mail action with messages
end using terms from

Delete Mail Message Without Opening Next Email

When you delete an email in Apple Mail, the next email will automatically be revealed. Here are two ways around that:

If this is a one time thing, use Option-Delete. However, be forewarned that this will permanently delete the message.

If you want to always manually open each mail message, close the preview pane by double-clicking on the divider. Then, to open a message, hit Cmd-O or Return.

Finally, if you accidentally mark a message as read, you can simply hit Cmd-Shift-U to mark it as unread. It will stay marked as unread until you open it or re-preview it.

Easily Email Files in Finder

One can put the Mail.app icon into Finder's toolbar. Then all you need to do is drag a file to your toolbar rather than to your dock and a new mail message will be created containing that file.

Get Free Software From MacHeist

Everybody likes free software. That's why today's tip is simply that you can get free, legit, software from MacHeist.com. It's only available for a few more days, so act quickly.

Global Variables in AppleScript

In AppleScript, global variables allow you to define which terms should be shared throughout the entire script. So if you set a global variable you can then access that variable anywhere in the script. Keep in mind though that, unlike properties, you do not define a global variable when you create it:

Open in AppleScript Editor

global multiply_factor

on run
--Define Multiply_Factor
set multiply_factor to 64

--Use it in the math_problem subroutine
set the_answer to math_problem(16, 32)
return the_answer
end run

--This subroutine uses the multiply_factor variable even though we didn't pass it the multiply_factor variable during the run statement.
on math_problem(x, y)
set new_x to x * multiply_factor
set new_y to y * multiply_factor
set final_result to new_x + new_y
return final_result
end math_problem

Improve iPod Touches Location Awareness

Go to Skyhook Wireless' webform to submit a wireless network and add your wireless network to their list.

Easy Fast-Forward and Rewind in iTunes

In iTunes, you can mouse over the time bar then scroll up to fast-forward and down to rewind.

[Via]

Disable Mail's "No Mail" Sound Effect

It is quite easy to disable the "No Mail" sound effect in Mail.

If you would like to automate the following process, you can use this AppleScript Application, otherwise, read on for the full run down:

Step 1: Quit Mail.app.

Step 2: Go to /Applications/Mail.app in Finder.

Step 3: Right click on the Mail application and select "Show Package Contents."

Step 4: In the Finder window that opens, go to ./Contents/Resources/No Mail.aiff.

Step 5: Make a backup copy of this audio file and replace it with an audio file containing silence. Make sure the name of the audio file is "No Mail.aiff".

Step 6: Open up Mail and check for new mail. You should no longer hear the lonely "No Mail" sound.

Download the script here.

Add WebSite to Dashboard

We're going to add a website widget to your Dashboard.

Step 1: Open the website in Safari.

Step 2: Go to the File menu and select "Open in Dashboard…"

Step 3: Select the area of the webpage that you wish to use as a widget then hit the return key.

Step 4: Your widget will open in dashboard. The content will refresh every time you open Dashbaord.

Upload Files Using the FTP CLI

Using the command line, it is quite easy to upload files to an FTP server. The basic command would be:

ftp -u ftp://username:password@server.address/folder/filename.mp3 /Path/To/File.mp3

Replace...

"Username" with your username for the FTP server.
"Password" with your password for the FTP server.
"Server.address" with the address of the FTP server.
"folder" with the folder path to the specific folder you wish to add the file to.
"filename.mp3" with the filename of the file you are uploading including its extension.
"/Path/To/File.mp3" with the path to the file on your computer.

If you wish to learn more about the FTP CLI (command line interface) type "man ftp" into Terminal and hit return.