If you are familiar with the 'enhanced abilities' Firefox security prompt, and you ever clicked on the 'Remember this decision' check box you may want to check http://firefoxprivileges.tiddlyspot.com.
When this prompt appears as a result of loading a file from your hard drive, you may not be aware of the exact meaning of the 'Remember this decision' check box. While you probably mean "I trust this file and I don't want you to annoy me anymore", Firefox understands "I trust every html file loaded from the hard drive". This broad trust is not a good idea from the security point of view.
This tool allows to easily cancel that effects of "remember this", and tell Firefox that you only trust some specific files (per-file permissions). Before hacking it, I used to have to mess with the user.js file, much less convenient.
The tool is implemented as a TiddlyWiki plugin. If you are not familiar with TiddlyWikis (super cool wikis in a single file), this is a good chance to get to know them.
Edit: Some strings to make this post googleable for the right people: UniversalXPConnect UniversalBrowserRead UniversalBrowserWrite UniversalFileRead CapabilityPreferencesAccess UniversalPreferencesRead UniversalPreferencesWrite netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege signed.applets.codebase_principal_support
The SendTo folder is a simple and powerful tool to customize Windows Explorer to simplify some recurring tasks. If you often want to link to files in your PC from your TiddlyWikis, you'll like this hack. It creates two new items in the "Send To" menu:
clipboard - file url: Copies to the clipboard the file: url of the file or folder that was showing the "Send To" menu
clipboard - new tiddler javascript url: Copies to the clipboard a javascript: url that, when pasted into the address bar of a Firefox tab showing a TiddlyWiki, will create a tiddler with the contents of the file that was showing the "Send To" menu
You can jump and just download and run the thing, a small .hta file, or take less than three minutes watching it in action in one of the lamest screencasts ever:
Just download the .hta file and open it. No, wait! Never open .hta files unless you trust its author or you have taken a look at the code.
Provided that you trust me or that you have checked the code, you can now open it. Maybe a double click will be enough (your Windows associates .hta files to mshta.exe, a version of IE with high security privileges in your machine). Maybe you need to use the command line and type mshta path2twlink.hta.
Follow the simple steps described in the .hta file, and you can start using your new shinny Send To menu items.
You are expected to edit the file to customize what gets copied into the clipboard. It should be easy. You may get ideas to push the sendto+clipboard+javascript urls concept further; adding them to the tool should not be too hard.
I initially wanted to use just a .js file. Getting access to the clipboard from a .js file is hard, so I went for an .hta. It turned out to be a good thing, because it ended up providing a way to avoid to the users the trouble of creating the shortcuts by hand and to me the trouble of documenting the recipe.
The problem of using an .hta file is that I found no way to keep it invisible, that it has an unusual way to receive its params, and that I had to warn you about its dangerousness.
I think that I've spent more time recording the lousy screencast and comparing video hosting services that coding. The number of times that I rerecorded the #@%! thing will remain undisclosed; I have my pride. Regarding the hosting services, after reading aboutthem, I posted the video to google, blip.tv and vimeo. I still have no winner, but google's video quality was awfull, so I had to drop it despite its super cool feature of letting you link to a specific point of the video.Update: looks like the winner is http://viddler.com: links, comments and tags on specific points of the video, plus the best player of all (in full screen mode, showing the original size, the quality was just perfect): http://www.viddler.com/explore/xdexavier/videos/1
I have a longish backlog of hacks worth cleaning up and publishing
FoxyHistory, a better Firefox History Manager. Having the ability to include urls when searching, and to sort the history by date of first visit has already saved me some time trying to restore some foggy memories.
TiddlyWiky SendTo Shortcuts, that allow to easily create customized links to files in a tiddlywiki and tiddlers with the contents of a file (Thanks for that first implementation, -- F.!)
MultiTiddlyWiki, that allows to have a bunch of tiddlywikis in a single Firefox tab. Specially nice when used with the terrific WebRunner, a XULRunner based distraction-free browser(Thanks for the link, schilke!)
I also had a xkdc (a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language) specific bookmarklet, but I just learned about the Long Titles Firefox extension that obsoletes it.
I think that I'll make the hacks available as DanceLikeMattHardingWare:
You are free to do with this whatever you fancy, but you are expected to do some small à la Matt Harding dancing steps now and then.
If you are too serious to dance, consider changing some things in your life, or just use it under some form of beerware or Creative Commons licensing.
Todo todo el día marcándome ridículos pasitos de baile, sin quitaremde la cabeza la música del vídeo de Matt Hardin bailando alrededor del mundo. Y encantado de la vida.
