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Utilities

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  Utilities Mark P M Lim <marklim@macgui.com> - 2013-12-29 01:59 +0000
    Re: Utilities D Finnigan <dog_cow@macgui.com> - 2013-12-29 20:48 +0000
    Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt D Finnigan <dog_cow@macgui.com> - 2013-12-29 20:53 +0000
      Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt Hugh Hood <hughhood@earthlink.net> - 2013-12-29 18:59 -0600
      Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt gids.rs@sasktel.net - 2013-12-30 09:24 -0800
        Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt "Bill Buckels" <bbuckels@mts.net> - 2013-12-30 20:34 -0600
          Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt Mark P M Lim <marklim@macgui.com> - 2013-12-31 09:13 +0000
            Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt "Bill Buckels" <bbuckels@mts.net> - 2013-12-31 21:53 -0600
              Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt Mark P M Lim <marklim@macgui.com> - 2014-01-01 07:35 +0000
                Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt "Bill Buckels" <bbuckels@mts.net> - 2014-01-01 07:08 -0600
          Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt gids.rs@sasktel.net - 2014-01-01 09:48 -0800
            Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt Mark P M Lim <marklim@macgui.com> - 2014-01-25 02:29 +0000
              Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt D Finnigan <dog_cow@macgui.com> - 2014-01-25 19:43 +0000
                Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt Mark P M Lim <marklim@macgui.com> - 2014-01-25 23:20 +0000

#1013 — Utilities

Hi,

This is going to be a long post.

I have developed 2 small utilities which might be of use to people using
MacOSX to develop AppleII/IIgs programs.

The first one is called XBSQ which takes .bsq encrypted files, unpacks them
and saves the decoded files. The program displays a small window; all the
user have to do is to drag-and-drop (DnD) .bsq files onto this window. The
decoded file(s) will be written to the same folder as the original .bsq
file(s). File attributes like the ProDOS type and auxtype are translated
into MacOSX HFS type and creator codes.

Decoding such files often gives .shk files. This leads to the second program
called NuShrinkItX.

This program came about because I wanted to get a handle on the API of the
NufxLib developed by Andy McFadden.  It is similar in functionality to
Shrink-Fit X (which incidentally is also based on the NufxLib) sans the info
feature.

The program uses an outlineview to display its files and folders; Shrink-Fit
X uses a tableview. Currently the only useful feature is a quick DnD of
file(s) or folder(s) onto the MacOSX desktop. File attributes like the
ProDOS type and auxtype are converted into MacOSX HFS type and creator
codes. This elevates the need to run an emulator (in this case Sweet16)
followed by ShrinkItGS (not to mention importing the archived .shk files)
just to look at a text or source file within the archives.

Given below is a link to a snapshot of a window of this program.

http://www.macgui.com/gallery/showphoto.php?pic_id=2759

Regards

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#1014

Mark P M Lim wrote:
> 
> The first one is called XBSQ which takes .bsq encrypted files, unpacks
> them
> and saves the decoded files. The program displays a small window; all the
> user have to do is to drag-and-drop (DnD) .bsq files onto this window. 

I suppose you are aware of sciibin. This compiles on Mac OS X.

Of course, some people do prefer the GUI tools, but I thought I'd mention
the CLI utility for reference.

http://macgui.com/usenet/?group=19&id=42&highlight=sciibin
http://macgui.com/usenet/?group=105&id=1079&highlight=sciibin

-- 
]DF$
Apple II Book: http://macgui.com/newa2guide/
Usenet: http://macgui.com/usenet/  <-- get posts by email!
Apple II Web & Blog hosting: http://a2hq.com/

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#1015 — Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

If someone could write a Quick Look plugin for ShrinkIt archives for Mac OS
X, that would be immensely useful. Virtual ][ allows us to examine the
catalogs of various disk images; I feel that ShrinkIt is the last one
missing.

https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/userExperience/Conceptual/Quicklook_Programming_Guide/Introduction/Introduction.html

-- 
]DF$
Apple II Book: http://macgui.com/newa2guide/
Usenet: http://macgui.com/usenet/  <-- get posts by email!
Apple II Web & Blog hosting: http://a2hq.com/

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#1016 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

David:

I agree that Gerard Putter did a nice job with his SpotLight and QuickLook
plugins for Apple II disk images in Virtual ][ and I suspect that he would
consider adding one for ShrinkIt archives as a feature request. You might
mention it to him, as I've found him to be a pretty approachable guy.

I've got a QuickLook plugin for AWP files in the pipeline for the next
revision of AppleIIWorks Envoy, but must confess that I really haven't
worked on it in several months. After I finally finished the SpotLight
importer part of AppleIIWorks Envoy I needed to step away from NSthis and
NSthat for a while. But, if I can get back to it, I'd be happy to consider a
QuickLook plugin for ShrinkIt archives provided it will not have already
been done by then. The hard part is already done thanks to Andy McFadden's
'C' source code. 

Don't look now, but there are some pretty capable guys reading these
newsgroups. One may have it programmed by breakfast just to show us how easy
it is. <grin>

In the meantime, I believe a simple AppleScript droplet which executes the
shell script command 'nulib2 -v' and returns the results in a window would
do the job you want, albeit not as elegantly as QuickLook would.





Hugh Hood



in article dog_cow-1388350405@macgui.com, D Finnigan at dog_cow@macgui.com
wrote on 12/29/13 2:53 PM:

> If someone could write a Quick Look plugin for ShrinkIt archives for Mac OS
> X, that would be immensely useful. Virtual ][ allows us to examine the
> catalogs of various disk images; I feel that ShrinkIt is the last one
> missing.
> 
> https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/userExperience/Conceptua
> l/Quicklook_Programming_Guide/Introduction/Introduction.html

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#1017 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

On Sunday, December 29, 2013 2:53:26 PM UTC-6, D Finnigan wrote:
> If someone could write a Quick Look plugin for ShrinkIt archives for Mac OS
> X, that would be immensely useful. Virtual ][ allows us to examine the
> catalogs of various disk images; I feel that ShrinkIt is the last one
> missing.


Better yet.  The source has been released for Cider Press.  If someone could compile it to work under MacOSX, this would be mucho grande appreciatae.

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#1018 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

<gids.rs@sasktel.net> wrote:
>Better yet.  The source has been released for Cider Press.  If someone 
>could compile it to work under MacOSX, this would be mucho grande 
>appreciatae.

There's a WineBottler version available isn't there?

Simply compiling won't help. Naturally, the source can be ported but...

CiderPress uses the MicroSoft Visual Studio 6 Compiler (very old) and MSC 
Specific Run-Times. What you have suggested would entail a complete port and 
is very non-trivial or Andy or David or some others would have done it by 
now.

I've had the source here for years so that part isn't news. I also have no 
problem understanding Andy's Code... anyone should be able to... he comments 
very well. Wonderful talent.

But it is a cost-benefit thing really. The time that we've got left on the 
planet. I spent my day today catching nets of fish under the ice in the wind 
and the snow.

We're having Minus 50 with windchill here on Lake Winnipeg tonight and with 
this much fresh air and fun to be had, who wants to be at a keyboard being 
mucho appreciated when one is over 60? I'd rather be appreciating our fine 
Canadian Weather and making some money and catching afew thousand pounds of 
fish.

Just saying. It's for reasons like this that the source is available I am 
sure, and that CiderPress hasn't been compiled under OSX. Now if someone 
could tell me how to roll-back the years I'd gladly accomodate:)

They catch fish in Saskatchewan too, and ship it to Russia in containers. 
Don't you Saskatchewan guys have fish to catch too while you still can?

Bill

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#1019 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

Hi,

> But it is a cost-benefit thing really.

You can say that again. The main application (explore the contents of the
app folder of the CiderPress source code) is too tightly tied to the Windows
OS.

Regards.

Mark

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#1020 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

"Mark P M Lim" <marklim@macgui.com> wrote:
>The main application (explore the contents of the app folder of the 
>CiderPress source code) is too tightly tied to the Windows OS.

Mark,

Seriouly for a moment only...

If I did the port I would probably use Qt and MinGW for the Windows Code.

http://qt-project.org/downloads

I'd never find the time.  Andy would need to take the lead and likely GPL 
CiderPress so we wouldn't need to buy commercial licences for Qt.

Some Conditional Compilation would create the appropriate look and feel for 
the targets, and would allow a pseudo-generic GUI as well.

If I tied my ass to any cross-platform product, it would be Qt. Much smarter 
people than me have done so. If you haven't tried it yet you might consider 
downloading and building some of the demos.

Qt is known to behave consistently in various Windows, on the Mac OS, and on 
various Linux Platforms and Android and iOS etc.

I used Qt 3 quite abit... a decade ago already:

http://qt-project.org/downloads

Those other smarter people are still using Qt.

That's pretty much as much seriousness that I can handle now. Ecept to say 
that such a port of CiderPress would replace the MFC Controls with Qt 
Widgets and after the initial pain CiderPress would run anywhere.

One other port that I would like to do would be for the ORCA C Compiler.

But let's face facts... the days are already getting too short for having 
all the fun that I would like, so 20 years from now when some strange 
variants of current systems are around I'd still be mucking with replacing 
controls with widgets.

Bill

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#1021 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

Hi Bill,

> 
> If I did the port I would probably use Qt and MinGW for the Windows Code.
> 
> http://qt-project.org/downloads
> 

Before I got serious on Objective-C, I was using MinGW on my system to learn
i386 and x86_64 assembly language programming. I suppose porting CiderPress
to Qt would be a good move since it's cross-platform.

Regards.

Mark

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#1023 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

"Mark P M Lim" <marklim@macgui.com> wrote:
> I suppose porting CiderPress to Qt would be a good move since it's 
> cross-platform.

That really is my only point.

Bill 

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#1025 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

> They catch fish in Saskatchewan too, and ship it to Russia in containers. 
> Don't you Saskatchewan guys have fish to catch too while you still can?

> Bill


We do, just not in 50 degree below zero weather.  I don't have the skills to build an igloo.  I have heard stories about eskimo Bill.  It's about time you got our cold weather.  It hit us first.

Does Lake Winnipeg get as green as it showed on this show I watched, since all our water is draining your way, carrying the phospates and other fertilizers off the land to Lake W?  The show had a satellite shot of Lake W. with all the algae.  And how the fish are growing faster and more abundant due to the green algae.  But blue algae, which is poisonous to both fish and humans, is slowly taking over the lake.

Back on topic now.

I briefly looked over the Cider Press source code, and at first glance, I thought it was a cross platform code.

I only know enough of that language to get me into trouble.

Rob

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#1132 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

Hi,

I have added a create new archive feature for NuShrinkItX. All the user
needs to do to drag-and-drop files/folders from a MacOSX window onto a drop
window and an shk archive will be created in the same folder of the original
dragged items.

Naturally, file and aux types conversion from MacOSX to ProDOS is included.

However, I seem to be encountering problems creating archives involving 
hundreds of files. No problems with small ones though.

Mark

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#1133 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

Mark P M Lim wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I have added a create new archive feature for NuShrinkItX. All the user
> needs to do to drag-and-drop files/folders from a MacOSX window onto a
> drop
> window and an shk archive will be created in the same folder of the
> original dragged items.

This sounds really useful. Keep up the good work. :-)

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#1134 — Re: Quick Look plugin for NuFX/ShrinkIt

Hi


> This sounds really useful. Keep up the good work. :-)

Thanks. I have solved the problem mentioned in the previous post. Now the
utility can create an shk archive with hundreds of files so quickly that I
can't even check if there is a block on the  main UI thread.

As it is currently, NuShrinkItX is already useful;  the next step is to add
error dialog boxes which will be helpful to the user.

Regards.

Mark

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