Code Sorcery Workshop

I thought I'd point out some of the usefulness of the new AppleScript features in Pukka in a little more detail. With an application launcher like LaunchBar or Quicksilver that can launch AppleScripts, you can bookmark things to del.icio.us in only a few keystrokes.

Case in point: I find myself frequently needing to bookmark things to read later. So my workflow is this: I browse them in Safari, hit Command-Space to bring up LaunchBar, and type B to bring up my entry for the Bookmark current Safari page to read later script.

I hit enter and a few seconds later see a Growl notification that the page has been bookmarked. Pukka doesn't even come to the foreground and I have posted a link complete with URL, title, referrer (if any), and any selected text in the description. The link is also tagged @toread and is marked as private. I didn't have to even see Pukka nor wait for any delays with del.icio.us for all of this to happen.

Thanks, AppleScript!

If you use the above script, be sure to edit it in Script Editor first to change it to your desired username, tag(s), and privacy settings.

I'd love to see what scripts you can come up with, so feel free to post in the comments if you have any scripts or any ideas for scripts. Also check out this TUAW post on enabling the AppleScript menu if you don't normally use a launcher.

I forgot to mention last week that Josh Teague Studios and I have been working together on user interface ideas for Pukka. He provided the original inspiration for the design of the private bookmarking in the last release and we've been talking about other directions things could go in. Have a look at his ideas here and be sure to check out the rest of his portfolio!

So I guess I'll join the bandwagon and make a couple of WWDC predictions, albeit a little last-minute. In case you don't know, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference starts today in San Francisco and we'll be getting our first look at the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" and other Apple goodies in a few short hours. Here are my picks for the Stevenote, right or horribly wrong:

• Mac Pro based on an Intel chip, with speeds of up to 3.0GHz. Don't ask me how, I just know Steve's been itching to hit that 3.0 mark for a while now...
• Safe bets: resolution independence and Boot Camp, but no acquisition or bundling of Parallels or introduction of similar technology.
• Pretty safe bet: faster, better Spotlight, billed as a breakthrough in the same way that the Panther Finder was. However, not rewritten (nor will Finder be, though it will have Safari-like, non-AppKit tabs). One thing it still won't be able to find, however, is a spinning beach ball during the Stevenote.
• Somewhat long shot: iChat with VoIP integration. Through your .Mac account, you will be able to make free phone calls.
• No brainer: widescreen mode of Mail.app. 'Nuff said. Also HTML composition.
• Developer-specific: access to the new window style, a heavily updated HIG, and access to document collaboration over Bonjour within AppKit.
• Gratuitous effects during the Stevenote: a ripple effect user switch, a warp speed login effect, and a new dock minimization/maximization effect: the window shrinks in place and spins into the dock, bouncing off of the edge of the screen on the way down. Steve will say nothing and only smirk as the crowd erupts in rapturous applause. Cut to closeup of Woz laughing heartily.
• Nearly guaranteed: Safari del.icio.us, a rebranded Safari RSS that obsoletes Pukka in every conceivable, and at least three inconceivable, ways.

Ok, so I had a little fun with it. Hope you have as much fun watching it later today. To Leopard!

Well, it's finally out! After a chaotic July, we've put the finishing touches on Pukka 1.3 and it's available immediately. This version brings AppleScript support, private posting, and a small convenience feature -- now you can prevent Pukka from resetting after a post by holding down the Option key. That way, you can quickly post a link to two or more accounts without having to retype everything each time.

As for private posting, just turn it on the preferences and you're ready to go. We realize that del.icio.us is about social bookmarking, but as they have implemented private posting and you have asked for it, we wanted to provide the option.

Lastly, on the AppleScript front, you can now script many parts of Pukka's behavior. Here are two scripts to get you started, but check the AppleScript dictionary for the full details.

• Bookmark current Safari page to read later: Takes the title, URL and any selected text for the frontmost Safari window and posts it tagged as "@toread", privately, with a mention of the referrer, to the account of your choice
• Bookmark Google Maps for contacts: Takes the selected contact(s) in Address Book and posts a link to a Google Map of their home address to your del.icio.us account, privately, as well as opens the map in Safari

These are only demo scripts, and we're not really AppleScript junkies, so we'll leave it to you to come up with more great ideas on how to integrate Pukka into your workflow. Feel free to get in touch or leave a comment here with what you've got!

Luis and I are happy to announce that we're getting CocoaDevHouseWashington off the ground! With some help and inspiration from Blake, the host of CocoaRadio, we are having the first meeting tonight at Murky Coffee in Arlington (map here).

Whether you're new to Cocoa, an old hand, or just curious about Mac development, feel free to stop by. I'll speak for both myself and Luis and say that we're both friendly and approachable, and I'm sure the others coming are as well.

See the wiki for more details and if you're local, we hope to see you there!

As I mentioned previously, the next version of Pukka will have AppleScript support, among other new features. I'm looking for a couple people to test it out, specifically the AppleScript functionality. So, if you're interested and feel you know how AppleScript should be done, either leave a comment or send me an email and I'll hook you up.

Thanks in advance!

A new release of Pukka is in the works and should be out very soon. Unfortunately, Code Sorcery Workshop experienced some damaging flooding in the past week during all of the severe weather and everything has been turned upside down for the time being. But the gnomes have been bailing water for a while now and although we are relocating, we will continue to bring updates once we get back into the swing of things. In the meantime, remember to give Pukka a spin and check out the screencast if you haven't already to see what you might be missing.

Stay dry!

I'm happy to announce that the latest version of NewsFire has added support for Pukka! Dave Watanabe and I worked this out and I'm happy to integrate with more great Mac software, especially slick, streamlined products like NewsFire. Check it out if you haven't already, as well as his other great products.

True support for AppleScript within Pukka is coming soon. With this you will be able to integrate del.icio.us posting into your AppleScripts for things like batch uploading and automatic posting. But in the meantime, I've put together some scripts that take the current URL for all of the major browsers and send it to Pukka. I actually made these a while ago and seeing a TUAW post about browsers and Yojimbo reminded me that I had yet to release them.

There is a note in the download about how to use them, but basically they are probably best used with a launcher such as LaunchBar, Quicksilver, or Butler (or any launcher capable of running AppleScripts).

Download the AppleScripts and you should be up and running in no time!

Pukka is today's featured app over at MacZot, so check it out! You can get it at half price, but only for today. MacZot promotes all kinds of software at great prices with something new every day.