externals

[Randall Lee Reetz]

> On Jan 19, 2009, at 3:04 AM, Jan Schenkel wrote:

> It would be a brilliant project, but not to be
> undertaken without a thorough knowledge of C and file
> systems on multiple platforms, with some assembly
> required.


Thanks Jan,

This particular project is to do what Apple's "Automator" should have  
done... namely, to allow automation triggered by system level events  
- as they happen.  I call my project "Reactor".  You go to a  
configuration panel where you select system events that you want to  
trigger xtalk messages (and under what conditions).  Then you go  
create rev stacks that deal with these messages through event  
handlers.  It's that simple.  The main Reactor tool will provide many  
tools for automation that don't necessitate the creation of special  
stacks and scripts.

Example:

Every time an image file is saved (by any program), store an alias of  
that file in folder "Hard Drive:newImages:".
Every time the user navigates to a folder send "FolderNav" with the  
folder path and long date and time to stack "myReactor".
Every time a text file is created with the word "Entropy" in its  
name, move that file to folder "Hard Drive:My Projects:Entropic  
Projects:".
Every time the user types the phrase "Calendar", launch application  
"iCal"
If the day is "Monday" and the user is "Randall" then every time the  
user types "work" then send "WordTyped" with "work"

Of course the idea is to deal with events in real time.  This is  
equivalent to the notion of putting things away as you use them... so  
that at the end of the day or project, there isn't so much cleanup to  
do.  I hate how file systems and OS's are so static.  How they never  
do things... how they wait until the user asks.

I understand that automation as described above could lead to  
recursion problems (exp: when new folder is created, create new  
folder), but these can be filtered and preemptively prevented.  I  
also understand that OS's may be loath to the security problems  
introduced by such a scheme... but the potential benefits  
(productivity, efficiency, automation, data mining, etc.) might mean  
we have to learn other ways of protecting the user and their data  
than simple prevention.

I look forward to an OS that protects me the user from having to know  
where my docs actually and physically reside.  Think instead of  
virtual pointers... many many ways to navigate and create and edit  
association and semantic webs that point intelligently to my docs and  
their parts.

Randall


On Jan 19, 2009, at 3:04 AM, Jan Schenkel wrote:

> --- Randall Reetz <randall at randallreetz.com> wrote:
>> On Jan 18, 2009, at 10:53 PM, Jiro Harada wrote:
>>
>>> What dose "OS level system wide file IO event"
>> mean concretely?
>>
>> Example... user saves a file... at the moment it is
>> saved... I want
>> notification of this file IO event sent as a message
>> to a rev stack.
>>
>> Other system level events I would like to subscribe
>> to:
>>
>> 1. file/folder/alias creation, open, edit, delete,
>> save as, etc.
>> 2. application launch, sleep, quit, mimimize, etc.
>> 3. computer launch, shut down, etc.
>> 4. key board strokes (words, and combos.)
>> _______________________________________________
>>
>> Add to this...
>>
>> File and folder rename and move events.  File system
>> and Browser navigation, and search terms used.
>>
>> Again, i want OS events to trigger messages sent to
>> stacks or a master stack in real time... as they
>> happen.
>>
>> Ideally, the user could set up preferences atom
>> subscribe to some events and ignore others.
>>
>> randall
>>
>
>
> Hi Randall,
>
>
> Java will not come to your aid for this one, I'm
> afraid (*). The support for such events varies widely
> accross platforms, and there's no real standard that
> Java (or the Rev team) could adopt.
>
> In fact, you may have to tap into the operating system
> kernel to get this sort of information, and find away
> to hook into its Find mechanism when we're talking
> about browser navigation.
>
> It would be a brilliant project, but not to be
> undertaken without a thorough knowledge of C and file
> systems on multiple platforms, with some assembly
> required.
>
>
> Jan Schenkel.
>
>
> (*) Even in the upcoming Java 7 NIO revisions, there's
> no mention of such events.
> <http://today.java.net/pub/a/today/2008/07/03/jsr-203-new-file- 
> apis.html>
>
> Note that the JNA (Java Native Access -
> <https://jna.dev.java.net/>) project has an example
> FileMonitor (Win32 only), but JNA is basically Java
> syntax sugar-coating for the native OS API so you're
> still researching and building code for each platform
> separately.
>
>
>
> Quartam Reports & PDF Library for Revolution
> <http://www.quartam.com>
>
> =====
> "As we grow older, we grow both wiser and more foolish at the same  
> time."  (La Rochefoucauld)
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> use-revolution mailing list
> use-revolution at lists.runrev.com
> Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your  
> subscription preferences:
> http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-revolution
>