Wednesday, May 21, 2003
New Flash Detection Kit 6:25 PM
Macromedia has a new Flash Detection Kit, along with an article by Fred Sharples with tips on how to use it.
The kit includes a Dreamweaver extension, but I just adapted the HTML Example for a client and it was a snap. All you have to do is embed flash_detection.swf in your page and enter your own values for the flashContentURL and altContentURL parameters. There's also a contentMinorRevision parameter, which is extremely useful if you need to ensure that your users have the latest version of Flash Player (currently, 6.0 r79). In my case, I needed to detect the minor version because of a strange quirk in OS X. When users upgrade OS X to Jaguar, the operating system installs an older version of Flash Player (6.0 r39). To make matters worse, according to this TechNote, "player 6.0 r40 is the first version that supports Flash Remoting within Netscape 6.x browsers." Take it from me, this also applies to Netscape 7.x.
By the way, thanks to Ian Chia for pointing out that Safari beta 2 now supports Flash Remoting.
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Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Virus Warning 1:42 PM
Watch out for any email from "support@microsoft.com." If it includes an attachment, it's a virus. Possible subject lines include "Cool screensaver," "Re: Approved (Ref: 3394-65467)," "Your details" and "Your password." Make sure your virus definitions are up-to-date and visit Symantec for more information.
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CFMX for J2EE on OS X 1:16 PM
Several people have asked me how to install ColdFusion MX Server on Macintosh OS X. Here's how my friend Tom did it:
• Download JRun 4 for Mac OS X Developer Edition
• Download ColdFusion MX for J2EE Developer Edition
• Follow these instructions to install CFMX over JRun 4
According to Tom:
Just install JRun first & make sure everything is working (in Terminal, cd to /Applications/JRun4/bin and use the ./jrun command to bring up JRun Launcher, which you can use to test the installed servers). The admin server is on port 8000; the default server — where CF will be installed — is on port 8100; and there is a "samples" application server on port 8200. If JRun seems OK, as it probably will, you can install ColdFusion per Macromedia's instructions and that should go smoothly, too. Just one caveat: there is no Verity, due (Macromedia says) to an incompatibility between the C++ compiler used for Verity and the Java compiler used with this version of CF.
Macromedia recommends reading Chapter 1 of Installing and Using ColdFusion MX for J2EE before you begin. You'll also need to install MySQL at some point, if you plan to work with databases. I haven't tried this out yet, but I like the idea of developing ColdFusion on OS X.
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Monday, May 19, 2003
Surfin' Safari 8:26 PM
After pulling my hair out for a little while - something I like to avoid, whenever possible - I finally figured out why Flash Remoting doesn't work on Safari. According to Macromedia's John Dowdell, Flash Remoting doesn't work on Safari and Opera because neither browser supports posting binary data. If I understand this correctly, that means you cannot upload files using Opera and Safari either. Well, gee, that's not good.
In any event, let's hope that Apple adds support for Flash Remoting by the final release of Safari - especially since more developers are using the Mac platform. As for Opera...I like "Don Giovanni" myself.
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Tuesday, May 13, 2003
Outlook Tip 7:15 PM
Want to create "sticky notes" on your desktop without buying or downloading another program? Create a new Note in Microsoft Outlook or open an existing Note. Close Outlook without closing the Note. The Note will remain on your desktop and you can drag it to any location. To create a new Note without launching Outlook, click the icon in the upper left-hand corner of the note and select New Note. You'll also find other options in the menu to change the background color, print, or delete the note.
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Wednesday, May 07, 2003
Desktop Calendar 1:47 PM
Here's a nice little app that installs a calendar on your desktop. Unlike TClockEx, which I used to use, Rainlendar enables you to add events and appointments. Future versions will probably sync with Outlook.
Speaking of Outlook, did you know you can use a /select argument to make Outlook start in the desired folder when you launch it? In my case, I wanted Outlook to open the NewmanZone folder beneath the Inbox folder, so I added the following argument to my Outlook shortcut on the QuickLaunch bar:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OUTLOOK.EXE" /select outlook:Inbox/NewmanZone
If you want Outlook to start with the Calendar, try this:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\OUTLOOK.EXE" /select outlook:Calendar
Of course, you may need to edit the path to OUTLOOK.EXE, depending on your operating system.
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Tuesday, May 06, 2003
Windows XP Tip 8:49 AM
If you use WinZip or PowerDesk, Windows XP's built-in zip support just gets in the way. To disable it, enter the following command in the Run dialog box and click OK:
regsvr32 /u zipfldr.dll
To re-register the DLL, simply enter the same command without the /u argument. It's just like registering an ASP COM object.
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Monday, May 05, 2003
VS.NET 2003 12:54 PM
One of my readers, Jean-Marie, was kind enough to point out that registered owners of Macromedia Studio, Dreamweaver, or Flash qualify for the Visual Studio .NET 2003 Upgrade. She even called Microsoft to confirm the offer. At $549, this is almost half the price of the full version ($1,079). For more information, visit the Visual Studio .NET Professional product page. Thanks, Jean-Marie!
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