I was wondering, if there's anything in NPAPI, which supports reading/writing user settings? Currently I use XPCOM, but I want to get rid of this code in order to support other browsers than Firefox.
I understand I can just read/write the file system (or registry on Windows) directly, but I want to explore other options - allowing the user edit these settings from the browser (e.g. about:config in FF) is, arguably, a better user experience than to direct him to edit some custom-made config files.
On the Mac plugins that need preferences sometimes ship a system preference pane with the plugin (and have a context menu item to open that pref pane), so that users have a UI for editing prefs. If there's not something similar for Windows and Linux you could always ship a small app that edits the prefs.
There is no such functionality in NPAPI.
Related
I'm trying to use Automator to record an action on the system preferences, in the accessibility display pane. I want to change the value of the slider for the color filter intensity. (There are many similar questions asked here on SO, but they seem to be from 4-11 yr ago. I think the issue may be changes with Ventura, etc.)
I use automator to Watch Me Do and record the action. I reset the preferences manually. Clicking run does not cause the setting to change in preferences.
So I drag the actions from the Watch Me Do panel to the workflow timeline, which pop-out the action into an AppleScript. Running this is also not successful.
Can I manually set this preference in some way via the cli? When I search Apple developer docs, all I'm finding is Swift code to write an application. ((I realize that the app that will do this change, Automator, Terminal, or otherwise, will need to be granted accessibility permissions under privacy/security system preferences.))
Or how do I get/write an AppleScript to do this?
Also, I have checked the OSAX dictionary for System Preferences, and it does not have more specific controls registered besides at the basic window/pane/etc level
Can't make changes in the default Administrator Account. I'm talking basic stuff here. Can't unlock the taskbar. Resize or move the taskbar around. Not to the same monitor or to another Which is what I want to do. I can't do other things similar to this such as changing the environment a bit. I don't know what else is blocked because I really don't spend any time in that account but if these basic functions are blocked you KNOW there are more serious things that are blocked as well.
I created a new Administrator account and it has the same issues.
I mean isn't the default Administrator's Account supposed to be able to do EVERYTHING WITHOUT verification. I am unable to make even basic changes. I can't change the view of Windows Explorer. I change the default computer view from Tiles to Details and the next Explorer window that comes up has it back at tile view. I tried to get windows to show file extensions and it won't even though I uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types" in Folder Options.
I want the user to be able to change the Notification Center system settings directly from my app without having to go to System Preferences app. I don't know if this can be done at all so I'm willing to settle for having them click a button that directly links to the Notifications pane of System Settings. That way they can be toggling some preferences from my native preferences window, and just click a button to quickly change whatever in the SS notifications and be done with it.
Preference panes are standalone executables. When you want to open a particular one, just launch it:
[[NSWorkspace sharedWorkspace]
openFile:#"/System/Library/PreferencePanes/Notifications.prefPane"];
Obviously you might want to check if the file is there, which might not be the case on older OS X versions.
How do I add custom menu items to the context menu for files in Finder?
Unfortunately, most of the information out on the Internet and on Stack Overflow doesn't work in 10.6 or are too limited. Automator, for example, doesn't allow you to create items dynamically or create submenus.
I know it's still possible to do this sort of thing because Dropbox and FolderGlance both do similar things. Does anyone know how they implemented this?
Thanks.
For what it's worth, Dropbox now uses mach_star for code injection. Obviously this is a fragile solution. If you look through their version history, many of their updates are to fix finder integration.
In macOS 10.10+, Finder Sync Extensions can be used to add items to the Finder context menu. This is how modern versions of Dropbox and similar apps customize the right-click menu.
For those just seeking to use the functionality, not develop their own app extension, I've released a Mac app that allows for arbitrary customization of a Finder Sync Extension:
Service Station - Mac App Store
I downloaded FolderGlance and it appears to use an osax (Scripting Addition) bundle to inject code into the Finder process. This is definitely fragile and unsupported.
As far as I am aware the only legit way to add items to the Finder contextual menu is to create a Service, but that doesn't solve your problem.
Up to to the OS X 10.9.x only injecting code to Finder process via mach_inject was a solution (and even Dropbox did that).
However since 10.10 there are Finder plugins, which can customize context menus, add buttons to Toolbar and put overlays over file icons.
They used CFPlugIn to add their menu items.
More on it here:
http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/#documentation/CoreFoundation/Reference/CFPlugInRef/Reference/reference.html
new Windows 7 hides systray icons by default.
what is the recommended way to show information to users now?
I need to have a small clickable icon visible to user so user can access my "tool" anytime. Should I use the gadget to show my GUI instead? Can it communicate with my Delphi app somehow?
Without more information it's a little difficult to provide a recommendation.
However, I would imagine that a sufficiently important tool, the user would simply keep minimized. They could then use Jumplists to access quick functionality.
For example, Live Messenger uses this setup on Win7.
If your users really like your icon/application they can always choose to not hide your application.
The only difference is that only the user can choose which icon is shown, instead of every application claiming it's "real estate".
In my opinion this is a good functionality and if I were you I wouldn't change the application, just provide a first run GUI which explains how to make your tray icon visible in windows 7.
The entire reason why change was made, was to stop programs like yours. If you need to show information, go ahead and do so. But the notification areas ("systray") is not where shortcuts go. For that, you've got the start menu, desktop and/or the quick launch bar (and please let the user decide).