| 1 | F-Script Anywhere 1.1.5 [1 October 2002]
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| 2 | =======================
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| 3 |
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| 4 | Add a F-Script interpreter to Cocoa applications dynamically.
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| 5 |
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| 6 | Written by Nicholas Riley <mailto:fsa@sabi.net>.
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| 7 | Obtain updates from <http://web.sabi.net/nriley/software/>.
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| 8 |
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| 9 |
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| 10 | WHAT IS IT?
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| 11 | -----------
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| 12 |
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| 13 | Ever wanted to inspect a Cocoa applicationÕs objects from the inside?
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| 14 | Frustrated with using GDB to debug Objective-C?
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| 15 |
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| 16 | You need F-Script Anywhere! (with apologies to Guido van Rossum)
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| 17 |
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| 18 |
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| 19 | INSTALLATION
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| 20 | ------------
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| 21 |
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| 22 | Install F-Script; you can download it at <http://www.fscript.org/>.
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| 23 | In particular, make sure the framework is installed in a Frameworks
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| 24 | directory, such as /Library/Frameworks or ~/Library/Frameworks.
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| 25 |
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| 26 | F-Script Anywhere 1.1.5 was tested with FScript.framework 1.2.2
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| 27 | (20020604), Mac OS X 10.1.5 (5S66) and 10.2.1 (6D52). It may or may
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| 28 | not work with earlier or later versions, I don't know. If you are
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| 29 | using an earlier F-Script version, please upgrade.
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| 30 |
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| 31 |
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| 32 | USAGE
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| 33 | -----
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| 34 |
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| 35 | Open the F-Script Anywhere application. Pick a Cocoa application from
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| 36 | the list and click Install or press return. F-Script Anywhere will
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| 37 | either install itself in that application, give you an error message,
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| 38 | or crash. (Hopefully not the latter!)
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| 39 |
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| 40 | Switch to the application, and you should find a ÒFSAÓ menu there.
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| 41 | Select ÒNew F-Script WorkspaceÓ to display a F-Script workspace.
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| 42 | This behaves like any other workspace, except it's executing within
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| 43 | the context of the application.
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| 44 |
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| 45 | You can also install F-Script Anywhere by using its dock menu. If
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| 46 | the frontmost application is a Cocoa application, just pick ÒInstallÉÓ
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| 47 | from the menu and F-Script Anywhere will install in that application.
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| 48 | If F-Script Anywhere canÕt install, the menu item will tell you so,
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| 49 | or F-Script AnywhereÕs icon will bounce to indicate a pending sheet
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| 50 | explaining the problem.
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| 51 |
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| 52 | When you're finished, quit the application before quitting F-Script
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| 53 | Anywhere, otherwise the application will crash. This is an inherent
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| 54 | limitation of the Objective-C runtime, and I can't do anything about
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| 55 | it. F-Script Anywhere will warn you if you try to quit it when it's
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| 56 | still installed in active applications.
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| 57 |
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| 58 |
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| 59 | BUILDING
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| 60 | --------
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| 61 |
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| 62 | The source to F-Script Anywhere is included. It has a number of
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| 63 | dependencies.
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| 64 |
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| 65 | 1. Install FScript.framework (see above).
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| 66 |
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| 67 | 2. Install libPatch 1.2.1.
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| 68 |
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| 69 | <http://web.sabi.net/nriley/software/libPatch-1.2.1.tgz>
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| 70 |
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| 71 | I'd suggest you do it this way:
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| 72 |
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| 73 | % cd /
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| 74 | % sudo gnutar --preserve-permissions -zxf libPatch-1.2.1.tgz
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| 75 | Password:
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| 76 | (please don't use StuffIt Expander)
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| 77 |
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| 78 | This installs files in /Developer/Examples and
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| 79 | /usr/local/{bin,include,lib}. If you're paranoid, you may want to
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| 80 | check the contents of the directory before installing.
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| 81 |
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| 82 | Please note that the layout of the libPatch distribution has changed
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| 83 | since libPatch 1.0; the above instructions will not work for 1.0.
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| 84 |
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| 85 | I did not write libPatch, but am distributing it for your convenience
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| 86 | because it may be unavailable from its original source. libPatch is
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| 87 | unsupported; please do not contact libPatchÕs author for support.
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| 88 |
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| 89 | 3. Check out the source of 'otool' from the Darwin CVS repository.
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| 90 | This is required because there's a bug in the function that returns
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| 91 | the 'flavo(u)r' of an application: Cocoa, Carbon, Classic, etc.
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| 92 | It identifies all Cocoa applications as Carbon ones. So as a
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| 93 | workaround, F-Script Anywhere examines the application itself to
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| 94 | see what libraries it links with. (This may fail if you're doing
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| 95 | something weird like linking to development versions of Foundation
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| 96 | and AppKit, but since I don't work for Apple, I couldn't test that
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| 97 | eventuality.)
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| 98 |
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| 99 | Check out Commands/Apple/cctools/{include,libstuff} from Darwin
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| 100 | CVS into the "Darwin source" directory. If you don't have a CVS
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| 101 | account, go to <http://www.opensource.apple.com/> and get one.
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| 102 |
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| 103 | cd to the libstuff directory and type 'make' (it doesn't use
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| 104 | jam/pbxbuild). I _think_ this is all you need.
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| 105 |
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| 106 | 4. Open 'F-Script Anywhere.pbproj' in Project Builder and build the
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| 107 | Application target. It depends on the Library target, so you don't
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| 108 | need to build it separately. You shouldnÕt see any errors or
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| 109 | warnings, and the F-Script Anywhere application (as well as the
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| 110 | library, which you can ignore because it is also copied into the
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| 111 | application bundle) will appear in the build product directory.
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| 112 |
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| 113 | If you have any problems building F-Script Anywhere, please let me
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| 114 | know.
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| 115 |
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| 116 |
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| 117 | FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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| 118 | --------------------------
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| 119 |
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| 120 | Q. What is F-Script?
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| 121 |
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| 122 | A. F-Script is a dialect of Smalltalk which includes a bridge to
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| 123 | the Objective-C runtime on Mac OS X. It's open-source, and
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| 124 | very nice. Its author, Philippe Mougin, has written several
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| 125 | articles on it, and documentation is available from the
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| 126 | F-Script Web site:
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| 127 |
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| 128 | <http://www.fscript.org/>
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| 129 |
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| 130 |
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| 131 | Q. How do you access user interface elements?
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| 132 |
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| 133 | A. One way is to access a window and its views programmatically:
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| 134 |
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| 135 | > app := NSApplication sharedApplication
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| 136 |
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| 137 | > windows := app windows
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| 138 |
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| 139 | > windows
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| 140 | NSCFArray {<NSWindow: 0x186770>, <NSWindow: 0x1ba4a0>, <NSWindow:
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| 141 | 0x1f0cea0>}
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| 142 |
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| 143 | > windows collect: [:each | each title]
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| 144 |
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| 145 | error: an instance of NSWindow does not respond to "collect:"
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| 146 |
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| 147 | (...a gentle reminder that this is not Smalltalk...)
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| 148 |
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| 149 | > windows title
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| 150 | {'F-Script', '', ''}
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| 151 |
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| 152 | (...but F-Script has some tricks of its own...)
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| 153 |
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| 154 | > fsw := windows at: 0
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| 155 |
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| 156 | > fswView := fsw contentView
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| 157 |
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| 158 | To open an F-Script object browser on fswView, type:
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| 159 |
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| 160 | > sys browse: fswView
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| 161 |
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| 162 | Or, click ÒNew Browser: Object...Ó, then click on fswView.
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| 163 | Click 'subviews' in the message list. You can use 'subviews'
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| 164 | repeatedly on container views if needed.
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| 165 |
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| 166 |
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| 167 | Q. ThatÕs too hard, especially all that scrolling.
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| 168 |
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| 169 | A. If you need to access a view (such as a button or text field), menu or
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| 170 | window, youÕre in luck. Click in an F-Script workspace window, then
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| 171 | choose ÒAssociate With InterfaceÓ from the ÒFSAÓ menu.
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| 172 | Follow the instructions in the window to select a user interface
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| 173 | element, view it in an object browser or assign it to a variable.
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| 174 |
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| 175 |
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| 176 | Q. F-Script Anywhere fails miserably on Jaguar.
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| 177 |
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| 178 | A. It shouldnÕt. Apple re-added support for libPatch to Jaguar late
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| 179 | in the development process, with the result that F-Script Anywhere
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| 180 | works. libPatch nevertheless needs to be replaced with a more
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| 181 | robust mechanism, and I am currently working on using the Application
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| 182 | Enhancer SDK <http://www.unsanity.com/haxies/ape/sdk/> for a future
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| 183 | version of F-Script Anywhere.
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| 184 |
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| 185 |
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| 186 | Q. F-Script Anywhere fails to recognize Spring as a Cocoa application.
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| 187 |
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| 188 | A. Yes, I'm aware of the irony: I contributed code to Spring. Spring
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| 189 | uses a unique application launching mechanism which makes it
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| 190 | difficult to determine what type of application it is. The only
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| 191 | current workaround is to upgrade to Jaguar, where Spring will be
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| 192 | correctly identified. This problem will be remedied with the move
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| 193 | to Application Enhancer, described above, in a future version of
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| 194 | F-Script Anywhere.
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| 195 |
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| 196 |
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| 197 | Q. I donÕt like F-ScriptÕs syntax. I don't like the object browser.
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| 198 | I donÕt like you either.
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| 199 |
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| 200 | A. I didnÕt write F-Script. Please address your questions to
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| 201 | F-ScriptÕs author or the F-Script mailing list.
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| 202 |
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| 203 | <http://www.fscript.org/contacts.htm>
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| 204 |
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| 205 | Oh, and get lost.
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| 206 |
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| 207 |
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| 208 | Q. My question isn't answered here.
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| 209 |
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| 210 | A. That's not a question. But if you have a question about F-Script
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| 211 | Anywhere, a suggestion or a bug to report, please email it to me at
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| 212 | <fsa@sabi.net>. Please try to keep your messages short and to the
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| 213 | point, and I'll get back to you as soon as my schedule will allow.
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| 214 | Thanks!
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| 215 |
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| 216 |
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| 217 | VERSION HISTORY
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| 218 | ---------------
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| 219 |
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| 220 | 1.1.5 - 1 October 2002 - better identify Cocoa vs. Carbon applications
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| 221 | on Jaguar; added hierarchical window list to
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| 222 | FSA menu; fixed startup crash on Puma with
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| 223 | certain Carbon CFM applications
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| 224 | 1.1.4 - 25 August 2002 - fixed miscellaneous Jaguar issues; worked
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| 225 | around broken application quit notifications;
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| 226 | added unique interpreter/associate window titles
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| 227 | 1.1.3 - 24 July 2002 - added bullseye-menu targeting cursor; added menu
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| 228 | association; work around bug by stopping capture
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| 229 | on suspend; added delegate, data source, target,
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| 230 | cell selection for views; window controller for
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| 231 | windows
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| 232 | 1.1.2 - 18 July 2002 - fixed more startup issues with list management;
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| 233 | properly scale icons of apps which have no
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| 234 | small icons; added user interface association
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| 235 | 1.1.1 - 3 July 2002 - fixed inefficiencies responsible for long
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| 236 | startup time; reorganized Window menu; support
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| 237 | paths to applications which contain non-ASCII
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| 238 | characters [Martin Hcker]; added sample code
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| 239 | to grab UI elements [Philippe Mougin]; cleaned
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| 240 | up code and distribution layout
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| 241 | 1.1 - 25 April 2002 - revised terminology; updated for F-Script 1.2;
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| 242 | zoom to fit in application list; added help
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| 243 | tags for workspace; focus workspace initially
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| 244 | 1.0.2 - (unreleased) - minor cleanups, added error messages, updated
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| 245 | scroll view component for faster UI response,
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| 246 | removed help menu item because it's useless
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| 247 | 1.0.1 - 1 March 2002 - corrected message for error 5; libPatch 1.2;
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| 248 | fixed endless confirmation on window close
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| 249 | 1.0.1d1 1 February 2002 - added error messages
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| 250 | 1.0 - 3 February 2002 - added dock menu, URL launching, check for
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| 251 | F-Script framework, floating window,
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| 252 | application name in interpreter window title,
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| 253 | fixed bugs, cleaned up error handling,
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| 254 | licensed under the GPL (because of ASM code),
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| 255 | packaged, added Read Me file and license
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| 256 | 1.0d1 - 1 February 2002 - proof of feasibility, private test version
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| 257 |
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| 258 |
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| 259 | CREDITS
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| 260 | -------
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| 261 |
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| 262 | Thanks to the following people for their software and generous
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| 263 | donations of source code:
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| 264 |
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| 265 | Philippe Mougin, for F-Script
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| 266 | Mike Ferris, for TextExtras
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| 267 | Apple, for Darwin
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| 268 | Frank Vercruesse, for ASM |
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