Structure & Strangeness

 

: Applescripts :

: Applescript is the best-kept secret of the MacOS - it's essentially a powerful
: shell-scripting language that allows the user to manipulate applications (including
: the Finder) as if they were programming objects. Here are a couple of my more
: publicly useful scripts:

: Anti-Viral Script for Email Attachments Folder

: If you read through my Spam Log, you know that I've been deluged
: with email worms and virii (most notably the SirCam and Hybris worms). SirCam
: in fact, has recently been sending me 4.8 Mb files, which can really chew through
: a large hard drive if not controlled (I recently cleaned my attachments folder of
: upwards of 100 Mb of worm files).

: To manage my "problem," I wrote two applescripts which do the same thing
: different ways. The first version attaches a "self-cleaning" script to my Eudora
: attachments folder. Whenever the folder is opened, the script is activated (its
: a folder action) and trashes any "potentially viral" files. I've targeted the script
: at files containing the strings ".pif", ".scr", ".exe" and ".lnk".

: The second version is a classic script applet that I've placed in my Shutdown
: Items Folder so that each time I power-down my computer, it cleans my
: attachments folder. I find that this lets me just forget that I've set up a
: primitive form of anti-virus software using Applescript :-)

: Download the Self-Cleaning Model
: Download the Shutdown Items Model

: Master-Slave, Netscape-Internet Explorer

: Although Netscape Communicator is my primary browser, I often pop over to use
: IE for certain pages (i.e. when Netscape is acting-up or a site has an embedded
: java applet). With this simple script, I can tell IE to get the URL from the top-
: most Netscape window, load a page with that URL and bring itself to the front
: of the application stack. Much easier than cutting and pasting!

: Download the NetscapeSlave script

 

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© Aaron Clauset

updated 8.19.01