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Linking to other resources, files from User Notes


Ben

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Can it be done, a little like the Scripture links? I'd love to be able to link to an OmniGraffle diagram that amplifies my notes.

 

Thanks.

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Hi Ben,

No, this can not be done using features within Accordance.

 

That said, if this was something you were interested, I would suggest a workaround solution that would work on your machine, and that is not too shabby.

You could use URL's in your Tools to designate file, and color them blue if you wish. For instance, link to a file with:

 

file:///Users/MyUsername/Documents/Diagrams/diagram1

 

Then, when you encounter it in a Tool, just select the address and from the Services menu select "Open URL" and it should launch the file in the appropriate application.

If you use Quicksilver (and I don't know why anyone wouldn't), you can create a key Trigger that will pull the selection and open it as a URL all with one keystroke. Voila.

 

If you don't like the long URL file address, you could use your own customized protocol such as:

file:diagrams/diagram1

as a way of designating the file called "diagram1" inside your "diagrams" folder.

You'd have to create your own action script that knew how to parse out where your "diagrams" and other folders reside. You could launch such a script from the Script Menu or open it with Quicksilver.

 

If you're curious how this would work,

1. Put a file on your desktop called testme.txt

2. Now embed this line into a user tool:

file:///Users/jweaks/Desktop/testme.txt

3. Highlight the address in your User Tool

4. From the Services menu (in the Accordance menu) select "Open Url"

or, using Quicksilver, invoke, grab the current selection into QS (using a trigger you've set or just typing "cur sele" after enabling Proxy objects), and it should default to the "Open URL" action because it's that smart... hit return and you're there.

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Joe Weaks - you're the man. Thorough and clear.

 

Shame you can't do it 'natively', but I'll certainly be putting your suggestion into action. Quicksilver-action.

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Joe Weaks - you're the man. Thorough and clear.

 

Shame you can't do it 'natively', but I'll certainly be putting your suggestion into action. Quicksilver-action.

Ben,

Let me know if you need any help. In Quicksilver, a great "Proxy object" to implement is to assign a key combo that invokes Quicksilver with the current selection already grabbed. Once you've enabled Proxy objects, you can assign a key stroke at

 

Preferences/Triggers/Quicksilver/Command Window with Selection.

 

I use ⌥⌃ C (Option Control C), which I use to copy something into Quicksilver to then act on it. The ReadMe file in the Accordance Quicksilver Actions package explains how to do all this. (You can find it on my blog.)

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I just came to the forum to ask the same thing :-) For me, it is the new feature of Bookends (i.e. URL's for citations in the database).

 

Joe's workaround is good. Having said that, is there any plans to update this for Accordance so it will work natively?

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Thanks for the tip, Joe, this will prove really handy!

 

I did discover that it will not work if the url has any spaces in it. (i.e. the document and the folders must not have spaces in their names). I don't suppose there's a work around for that, aside from removing the spaces from the names of documents and folders one wants to use?

 

Is there an easy way to copy the path of a document? I'm disappointed I can't just copy it from the "show info" window in the finder. The only solution I found was to drag the document into another app I have that allows linking to files and then copying the path.

 

Thanks again for the suggestion!

 

You can count me as one of those who would like to see this a built in feature of Accordance.

 

Blessings,

 

Lorinda

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I did discover that it will not work if the url has any spaces in it. (i.e. the document and the folders must not have spaces in their names). I don't suppose there's a work around for that, aside from removing the spaces from the names of documents and folders one wants to use?

 

 

The work around for

file:///Users/johnlincoln/Desktop/My File.doc

is to put %20 where the space is in the url - no need to change the file name. So the url in User Tool becomes

file:///Users/johnlincoln/Desktop/My%20File.doc

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Thanks for the tip; after I posted I wondered if that would work, given that spaces turn into %20 in iWeb urls. I didn't think of it when I was trying out the process, obviously.

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Is there an easy way to copy the path of a document? I'm disappointed I can't just copy it from the "show info" window in the finder. The only solution I found was to drag the document into another app I have that allows linking to files and then copying the path.
When have I ever let my Accordance Sisters and Brothers down? You do know the "W" in Weaks stands for "Workaround".

I cooked up this little Quicksilver action just for this situation. Download, unarchive, and put it into your Library/Application Support/Quicksilver/Actions folder. As with all my scripts, you must enable Allow Assisted Devices in the System Preferences. You may also need to quit and restart QS.

 

Then, whenever you're in a place while editing a User Tool/Note (or any text application really) where you want to place a file URL path, just leave the cursor where you want the path to go and simply:

1. Invoke Quicksilver

2. Get the file you want into the first pane (by typing enough identifying letters, or by dragging it in from the Finder, or by Command G which grabs the Finder selection)

3. Tab to the second panel

4. Type "PasteFileURL" or probably something less like "PURL" or something to identify the "PasteFileURL" action

5. Type return or click execute and it will paste into your Tool the slick little URL path, complete with escape characters (%20 for spaces, etc.).

 

Pretty cool, eh?

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More than cool, much more than cool! That is awesome. If you lived nearby I'd buy you a beer (or a non-alcoholic beverage if your church is still part of a temperance league).

 

Can I ask you something Joe? On the Bookends forum someone pointed out that these plain text URL's cannot be launched from Word with the Services menu. I confirmed this on my computer too. And if I choose to hyperlink a portion of text in Word with one of these plain text hyperlinks it doesn't work either. It does work in every other program with the Services menu enabled. Furthermore, I can't even highlight the plain text URL in Word and use my QS keystroke to copy into the first pane of quicksilver.

 

It doesn't matter too much to me I don't use Word, I'm asking for others (and so I can answer them when they ask why).

 

Any clue as to why, or any workaround there?

 

Danny

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... plain text URL's cannot be launched from Word ... I can't even highlight the plain text URL in Word and use my QS keystroke to copy into the first pane of quicksilver.

Danny,

Word isn't the only application that doesn't allow QS to grab the selection. Firefox is another example. Here is a Quicksilver action that is an easy workaround. It's called StubbornOpenURL (though a user can name it anything they want). Install it with the above instructions and relaunch QS. Then in Word or anywhere, really:

 

1. Highlight your plain text URL

2. Invoke QS

3. Type identifying letters such as "stubURL" to select the "StubbornOpenURL" action (which will only need "st" or "ur" from now on)

4. Hit return (since "Run" is probably the default action in the second pane)

5. There is no step 5.

 

Open the action in ScriptEditor and you can read the comments to see that the action simply scripts the user interface to do a command C copy of the selection and goes from there. You can alter the script to send the file to QS for further processing instead of opening it.

 

I'll take you up on the beer sometime.

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Very cool, thanks.

 

Now I'll have to buy you a burger too.

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Joe, the stuburl search in QS (the first pane) doesn't find the script, it only finds it in the actions pane. Should it actually be placed in the scripts folder (assuming one is cataloguing the scripts folder) ?

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Joe, the stuburl search in QS (the first pane) doesn't find the script, it only finds it in the actions pane. Should it actually be placed in the scripts folder (assuming one is cataloguing the scripts folder) ?

You could place it anywhere, actually. I uploaded another copy in case something happened with the other one. Also, make sure you quit and relaunch QS after placing it. If you have it somewhere else, you need to force a recatalogue so QS can find it.

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Joe, this would be a good time to ask you. Do you use QS for within Accordance for anything else? (perhaps you could start another thread on it if it is a long list)

 

I'm impressed with the amount of keyboard shortcuts Accordance puts in, and knowing how to use proxies with QS is great too.

 

There are two things in particular I would like to do without the keyboard that I can't (I don't think anyway). If I had my NRSV open in a tab and would like to open my Josephus module, I'd like to do it with some sort of keystroke or via QS somehow. As far as I know, this isn't doable. Neither is adding a particular text pane to the front window (or user notes or reference tools). Can this be done?

 

Basically I would like to be able to gain access to stuff on the resource palette with keystrokes or QS.

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Thanks for the script for easily getting a file's url, Joe. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those who uses Quicksilver, and I know next to nothing about Applescript.

 

It looks like it could be adapted to fit into an Automator flow; I just tried to do that, but I'm not getting the expected output. I guess I'll have to read up on Applescript one of these days.

 

If anyone else figures out how to do it before I get around to it, please let me know.

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Lorinda,

 

you should really check out Quicksilver. It is free, and once you get used to it, it will really change how you work

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Thanks for the script for easily getting a file's url, Joe. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those who uses Quicksilver, and I know next to nothing about Applescript.

 

It looks like it could be adapted to fit into an Automator flow; I just tried to do that, but I'm not getting the expected output. I guess I'll have to read up on Applescript one of these days

Lorinda,

There'd be lots of ways to accomplish it. Think about how you'd want. What exactly would you want the workflow to be using Automator or an applet? The way I see it, you're typing in an Accordance Tool and you want to refer to a file. I'd hate for you to have to then go searching for the file in Finder. But, I suppose if that's what works for you... how about this droplet. You can keep in on your desktop, in the dock, or you can put it in the toolbar of the Finder window.

All you do is drop a file onto the droplet and it puts the URL style path on the clipboard. You can then paste it where you like.

GetURLpath droplet

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Joe,

 

Thanks so much for continuing to work with me on this.

 

This is what I had in mind:

creating an Automator workflow, saved as an app

"stashing" this app in Butler and giving it a hot-key (e.g. control-u)

 

Then, when working in Accordance (or some other apps where this would be helpful) I could press the hot-key; I would be asked to locate the file using a standard file picker dialog box; then the url would copy to the clipboard, and I could paste it where I wanted it.

 

I realize that this is an extra step from the original script you wrote (which pasted automatically), but I was concered that I might not have the right app frontmost at the right time.

 

The files I would want to "link" to in Accordance are all quite well organized in folders for each Sunday in the Christian year, and easily accessible from my sidebar, so the file picker would work well for me.

 

That said, the droplet works wonderfully. I've stashed it on my Dock; and I can easily access those same files via the Dock. Thanks much for putting it together for me (and anyone else who's interested).

 

I did finally download a beginner's guide to AppleScript, recommended on the Applescript discussion forum, although I don't know when I'll get around to working through it.

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...Then, when working in Accordance (or some other apps where this would be helpful) I could press the hot-key; I would be asked to locate the file using a standard file picker dialog box; then the url would copy to the clipboard, and I could paste it where I wanted it.

Ok, here's an Applescript that does just that: FileDialogGetURL

 

1. Launch it from Butler, or the Script menu, or Quicksilver, or Launchbar or something.

2. It opens a Choose file dialog (look inside the script to assign a default folder location)

3. It places a the URL path on the clipboard

 

Looking inside the script, you can see how to have it go ahead and paste the result into the front document as well.

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Joe, this would be a good time to ask you. Do you use QS for within Accordance for anything else? (perhaps you could start another thread on it if it is a long list)

 

I'm impressed with the amount of keyboard shortcuts Accordance puts in, and knowing how to use proxies with QS is great too.

 

There are two things in particular I would like to do without the keyboard that I can't (I don't think anyway). If I had my NRSV open in a tab and would like to open my Josephus module, I'd like to do it with some sort of keystroke or via QS somehow. As far as I know, this isn't doable. Neither is adding a particular text pane to the front window (or user notes or reference tools). Can this be done?

 

Basically I would like to be able to gain access to stuff on the resource palette with keystrokes or QS.

I don't use QS alot in Accordance, cause normally all I do is read the bible in Accordance. When I'm working on a project that is doing alot more interaction, I tend to script it out.

I would resonate with your comment about the resource palette. It used to be an Apple Human Interface standard to have nothing in a toolbar that wasn't available in a menu. While we can select submenu titles directly to amplify or open new window using the Resource palette, from the menu bar we only have the option to Amplify. There is no comparable "New" menu with all those submenu options. Hence, can't create direct triggers for then. This is also the case for panes... there's no menu for a new pane.

 

Let me tell you about one QS feature however that very handy in apps with a bunch of menu items. If you enable the plug-in "User Interface", then you can use the QS proxy "Current Application" - "Show menu items" which brings up a QS popup with EVERY menu item in the entire application. I have this set to the Trigger Control Option M... so, in order to bring up a General Tool, all I do is:

 

1. Control Option M

2. gen

3. return

 

If the tool I want is a few from the top listing, just use:

 

Control Down Arrow

 

The QS proxy "Current Application" - "Show menu items" is VERY useful.

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Thanks Joe. I've learned this trick recently from the 43 folders podcast, it is one of my new favorite uses for QS.

 

I too would like to see all things available in the menus. Maybe someone should suggest this to Roy Brown.

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We do read and note all your suggestions, we're just too busy implementing a long list of new features to respond to each one.

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Joe,

 

I was coming back to forums to let you know that with some help with someone at Apple's Applescript discussion forum I figured out how to use the Script with Automator. Because I was using Automators "Ask for a file" element, I needed to change "open" to "run." They also helped me adapt it to copy to the clipboard, although I also set one up to paste to the frontmost app; I figure I'll see which way works best.

 

When I got here, I found your last post and a new script. Thanks so much! I'm sure I'll learn a lot from it.

 

 

Danny,

 

I did give Quicksilver a whirl when it was first mentioned here. But I never really got my head around it. I was already using Butler by then, and it seemed like an awfull lot of time and energy would be needed to learn a new way of doing things that were already working well for me with Butler. I also didn't care for QS's graphic interface, or for the fact that it sat in the Dock whereas Butler is "invisible." I think QS, Butler, and Launchbar are all three great apps (though I know Launchbar by reputation only--I've never tried it). Which one of the three is "best" probably depends on a combination of what one needs/wants to do, how one's brain works, and (in some cases) which app one learns first.

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