A piece with a lot of screenshots about the close tab behaviour in Google Chrome

by leiger

Through looking at what information is available to Wikidot API developers, you can quickly gain an understanding of what you can and can not do with the API. Therefore I've taken the time to write this blog post to explain the input and output of most of the API's methods.

If you have any questions or suggestions, you can reply to this blog post or ask on the wikidot api developer forum.

system.listMethods

Parameters ()

If your language's XML-RPC libraries require a parameter, just create an Object[] array and set it to null. Then provide that as the parameter.

Return type

This method returns an array (list in Python) of Strings. Each String is the name of a method that the API supports. Both XML-RPC system methods (like "system.listMethods" itself) and Wikidot-specific methods are included in the list.

user.sites

Parameters (user)

Create a map (dictionary in Python) and add a new entry for each parameter.

• user - Wikidot username

Return type

This method returns an array (list in Python). Each element in the array is a map (dictionary in Python) containing the following entries:

• title - The site title
• name - The unix name for the site (i.e. name.wikidot.com)
• access - The access policy (open, closed or private)

site.categories

Parameters (site)

Create a map (dictionary in Python) and add a new entry for each parameter.

• site - The unix name of the site

Return type

This method returns an array (list in Python). Each element in the array is a map (dictionary in Python) containing the following entries:

• name - The name of the category

site.pages

Parameters (site) or (site, category)

Create a map (dictionary in Python) and add a new entry for each parameter.

• site - The unix name of the site
• category - The name of the category (optional)

Return type

This method returns an array (list in Python). Each element in the array is a map (dictionary in Python) containing the following entries:

• site - The unix name of the site
• parent_page - The fullname of this page's parent
• tag_string - A space-separated String of tags
• date_edited - The updated_at value for the page
• date_created - The created_at value for the page
• title_shown - See below for a description
• user_created - The created_by value for the page
• category - The category that the page belongs to
• title - See below for a description
• name - The unix name of the page
• user_edited - The updated_by value for the page
• title_or_unix_name - See below for a description
• tag_array - An array of tags (String objects I think)
• full_name - The full name of the page. If the category is _default, 'full_name' is the same as 'name'

There are three fields for the page title:

• title_shown - This is the title that appears when you view the page in a browser, including variables from auto-numbered categories.
• title - The title that a user enters when creating or editing the page. If the category is not autonumbered, this is the same as 'title_shown'.
• title_or_unix_name - If 'title' is an empty String, the page's unix name is shown instead. This is used for internal links in the web version of Wikidot.

page.get

Parameters (site, page)

Create a map (dictionary in Python) and add a new entry for each parameter.

• site - The unix name of the site
• page - The fullname of the page

Return type

This method returns an array (list in Python). Each element in the array is a map (dictionary in Python) containing the following entries:

• source - The Wikidot source code for the page
• html - The rendered HTML version of the page
• meta - The meta information for the page. This element is not a map (dictionary in Python), but is an array containing another map (dictionary in Python) with the same entries as the map (dictionary in Python) you can get from the 'site.pages' method.

page.files

Parameters (site, page)

Create a map (dictionary in Python) and add a new entry for each parameter.

• site - The unix name of the site
• page - The fullname of the page

Return type

This method returns an array (list in Python). Each element in the array is a map (dictionary in Python) containing the following entries:

• date_added - The date the file was uploaded
• description - An automatically-generated description of the file type
• name - The name of the file
• mime - The file's mime type
• comment - The comment added when the file was uploaded, if any
• url - The URL you can use to access the file in a web browser
• size - The size of the file in Bytes

TODO

I still need to work out the details for these methods, and will update this post as soon as I have done that:

• page.save
• user.valid
• system.methodHelp
• system.methodSignature
• system.multicall

Other resources

You may also find the official list of API methods useful: http://developer.wikidot.com/doc:api-methods

by leiger

First off, there's Browser Chooser - something that most people here would probably love to try. I'm yet to download it myself (am about to do that after I save this blog post) but here's a sneak peak:

Browser Chooser is a small tool acting as the default browser allowing you to choose what browser to open the link in. It gives you the flexibility to choose what browser to use for any given task. It is developed in VB.Net and geared towards Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Find out more and see some more screenshots at http://browserchooser.codeplex.com/

Then there's Firefox 4.0 Beta 1, which you may want to download. If you've tried any of the previous versions I've announced on my blog (e.g. 3.7a6-pre) then this isn't much different… but if you're coming from a previous stable version of Firefox you might be slightly impressed.

While it's only available in Windows Vista and Windows 7, the Windows Aero features are pretty sweet. For everyone else with another operating system, you're in for some other useful changes — including JavaScript now being only two-thirds as slow to load as it used to be in version 3.6! This is still slower than Firefox's competition… but it shows that they're working hard to improve their JS engine.

Find out more over at conceivablytech.com.

by leiger

WARNING: As it says at the start of the video, there is a short "sex scene". Make sure the people around you won't mind seeing that when you play the video.

by leiger

One of those annoucements was this first official teaser trailer from Valve, the developers of the upcoming Portal 2.

There isn't much to say - you should just watch the video. Watch, and start counting down the months until it's 2011 release… which couldn't come soon enough ;-)

(Also available in 720p High Definition)

by leiger

And if you enable "Tabs on Top":

As far as I know, this only works under Windows Vista and Windows 7 (for obvious reasons). Perhaps in the future when other OS'es support the kind of transparency that Windows Aero does, the same effect can be replicated there as well.

These are still test builds, and there are reported to be a couple of problems where Aero doesn't work properly yet. Looks awesome so far though!

And still no support for CSS3 transitions.

How do you download the latest unstable test build of Firefox (aptly named Minefield)? That's easy:

• Windows
• Mac
• Linux Intel
• Linux 64-bit Intel

This reminds me of how several months ago, the graphics editing program Paint.NET was updated to use a similar interface.

by leiger

I'm launching a new blog today, titled "Learn Java", with an open invitation to all readers of this blog to come along, start watching the site, and to learn a programming language.

It doesn't matter if it's your first language or your fifth - if you don't know Java, you should have a look.

And any Java guru's around here can pop in and point out all of the mistakes I'm making ! ;-)

Check it out at: http://java.wikidot.com/

by leiger

That's right - Safari version 5, which was released earlier this week, also includes "Safari Extensions". As part of Apple's new Safari Developer Program, they are inviting developers to get involved and to begin developing extensions for their browser.

Simplicity.

Google Chrome's extensions are simple to create. Once you know the basics of how to create a Chrome extension, you can learn the rest really quickly as it is built upon people's existing knowledge of HTML and CSS.

It looks like Apple's seen this idea and taken it on board as well. You can create Safari extensions using web standards such as HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.

Apple likes digital control.

iTunes and the iPhone App Store is all about legally paying for music and applications, and being given a digital signature just to play it on a few devices you own. Usually this kind of approach would lead people to pirate the content instead, but due to the ease of access to Apple's services, that hasn't been happening. Apple has sold millions of songs and iPhone apps since the iPhone App Store was created!

It looks like they're moving the same techniques in a slightly different direction, and signing Safari extensions with a digital certificate. This certificate, which comes free with the Safari Developer Program, protects extensions so that only the person with access to the certificate can upload new versions of the extension. That prevents others from tampering with your extensions, and prevents others from pretending to be you and releasing a dodgy version to your extension's users.

I might add, that Google also uses a similar technique to ensure the validity of the extensions in their extensions gallery.

But not yet!

The Safari Extensions Gallery isn't available yet. The apple web site claims that it will open "later this summer" (this winter for us Aussies), which means that whilst developers can begin creating extensions and testing them in their own sand-boxed environments, no-one will be able to start using them just yet.

What else does Safari 5 have to offer?

Safari Reader

Safari 5 automatically detects when there's a news article on the page, and gives you a clutter-free mode to read it in.

Even Greater HTML5 Support

Better HTML5 support including:

• Full-screen view and closed captions for HTML5 video
• Location services (HTML5 geolocation support)

Smarter Address Field

Safari 5's "Smart Address Field" works similarly to the address bar of most modern browsers, and provides URL suggestions when you enter only a part of the website's address.

Hardware Acceleration for Windows

Safari 5 claims to be able to "tap into the graphics processing power of your PC while browsing the web", allowing media and interactive graphics to perform better than it did in Safari 4.

I've noticed that Safari for PC is a bit slow when it comes to rendering some CSS3 transitions, compared to Google Chrome. It'll be interesting to see if Safari 5's new 'hardware acceleration for windows' feature removes that problem (I'm yet to test it).

Improved Web Inspector

And a great new feature for all Wikidot site owners - the improved web inspector.

The new "Timeline" pane gives you information about how Safari 5 interacts with your website. Loading, scripting and rendering timelines show you how and when HTML is parsed, and when JavaScript is executed.

If you're interested in improving loading times by pinpointing which images are causing the most lag, or to determine if James Kanjo's chatroom is somehow slowing down your site's loading time (although I'm sure that's not the case!), you can find that information out quicker and easier than before.

Downloading Safari

If you'd like to download Safari and try it out, you can get it from the Apple website: http://www.apple.com/safari/download/

However, I'll be sticking with Google Chrome - at least until the Safari Extensions Gallery is unveiled and I can see what is possible with Safari 5 Extensions.

by leiger

Determined not to give up and fuelled by the thought that such a simple task must be possible somehow, I did a quick search and that's when Google saved me.

Over on help.ubuntu.com is a fantastic tutorial page titled "Modifying the Appearance of Files and Folders".

On this page, I found the following instructions:

Changing the Icon for a File or Folder

To change the icon that represents an individual file or folder, perform the following steps:

1. Select the file or folder that you want to change.
2. Choose File —> Properties. The properties window for the item is displayed.
3. On the Basic tabbed section, click on the current Icon¹. A Select custom icon dialog is displayed.
4. Use the Select custom icon dialog to choose the icon to represent the file or folder.
5. Click Close to close the properties dialog.

To restore an icon from a custom icon to the default icon, Select the file or folder that you want to change, choose File —> Properties. click [sic] on the Icon button, in the Select custom icon dialog click Revert.

Hopefully by spreading this around, someone will read this tutorial before they install Ubuntu, and it'll save them having to search for an answer to this problem.

This is my STE application, using a custom icon!

Using the same custom icon, for a panel shortcut!

by leiger

This is a tutorial intended to teach you how to use the Problem Steps Recorder (or PSR) that is bundled with Windows 7.

One of the coolest new tools in Windows 7 is the Problem Steps Recorder (PSR) — especially for those of us who provide tech support to Windows users. No matter how hard they try, users often have problems accurately describing the problem they’re experiencing or the steps they took before or after experiencing it. Sure, Remote Assistance can be a godsend in those situations. But you can’t always connect to the user’s computer in real time. That’s when the PSR comes in handy.

It’s really a type of screen capture software that records all actions — keystrokes, mouse clicks, etc. — and saves the sequence of events in an MHTML page that documents every step the user took, along with screenshots.

^{Source: 10 cool tools in Windows 7}

Step 1. Tap the Windows key and type psr.exe into the Start menu, then tap Enter

You don't need to use the mouse at all for this step — in fact it's faster if you don't. Just tap the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start menu, and the cursor will automatically move to the search box. Just start typing psr.exe into the box and the list will filter to show you the correct application.

As it's already selected, you can just press Enter to run it. Alternatively, single-clicking on the search result with your mouse will open it as well.

Step 2. The Problem Steps Recorder will launch. Click on "Start Record"

If you've completed Step 1, you'll now see the Problem Steps Recorder on your screen. Click on "Start Record" to begin recording your actions.

Step 3. Reproduce the bug

Now it's time to reproduce the bug. Whatever the problem was, try to make the same problem appear again.

While you're trying to reproduce the bug, you can click on the "Add Comment" button if you want to add more information. It will firstly ask you to select a part of the screen to talk about, then will offer you the chance to write an explanation into a text area.

Step 4. Click on "Stop Record" to stop recording, and save the file to your Desktop

Click on "Stop Record" to stop recording your actions. The program should then prompt you to save a ZIP file to your Desktop.

Enter a name for the file, and click on the Save button to continue.

Step 5. Find the file you just saved, and upload it to a Wikidot site

Look at your computer's desktop for the file you just saved - using the same file name you gave it.

Upload this ZIP file to any Wikidot site (except a private site!) and then link to it in your forum post or bug report so that people can have a look at it.

Optional. Before uploading the file in Step 5

If you'd like to see the contents of what you are uploading, to make sure you're not giving people potentially sensitive or private information, you can read the report for yourself first.

Just double-click on the ZIP file on your Desktop and you'll be given a listing of all the files in the compressed folder. There will only be one, and it'll be listed as an "MHTML Document".

Double-click on this document to read the report.

by leiger

When looking for a way to make STE use it's own custom extension, and to allow filtering of supported extensions when opening a file, I saw a mention of a class that implements FileChooser that had already been written by Sun that should do most of the work for me. All I had to do was to use it's methods.

So I opened up this file and started trying to figure out how it worked. When I glimpsed the end of the disclaimer, I had to re-check it two or three times. I hadn't expected to see this!

 /* * You acknowledge that this software is not designed, licensed or intended * for use in the design, construction, operation or maintenance of any * nuclear facility. */ 

Random humour? ;-) Surely they can't be serious…

by leiger

In Windows 7 this is a bit simpler, as most of the time you can simply click on the red "X" close button and it'll close the program even if it's unresponsive. Usually it asks if you want to send off a report to Microsoft to alert them about the problem as well.

But, I have an even better solution! Even if you have multiple programs that are unresponsive, you can kill all of these at the same time using a simple shortcut:

Step 1. Right-click on the Desktop and select "New » Shortcut".

Step 2. It'll launch the "Create Shortcut" wizard. Enter this as the location:

 taskkill /F /FI "STATUS eq NOT RESPONDING" 

Step 3. If you haven't already done so, after typing that in click the "Next" button. Then type this in as the name:

 Kill Unresponsive Tasks 

Step 4. Click "Finish" and the shortcut will appear on the Desktop. You can finish here, or you can decide to continue and learn how to change the icon.

Step 5. Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties". Then click on the "Change Icon" button.

Step 6. Delete the text in the text box next to the Browse button, then type "explorer.exe" into the text box instead. Press Enter when you've done that and you'll get a different list of icons.

Step 7. Then select the 2nd icon in the 3rd column (the red "X"), and click on "OK".

Step 8. Click on "OK" again to close the Properties dialog box, and then admire the shortcut sitting there on your Desktop:

Step 9. If you're using Windows 7, you can drag and drop the shortcut down onto your taskbar for easy access! See the image below for an example.

If you're not using Windows 7, consider upgrading ;-)

by leiger

by leiger

I found myself captivated by this, and watched it right through with the sound muted. Then I later discovered there's a talk that goes with it! :)

by leiger

If you already have it installed then you don't need to do anything… it should automatically update the next time you open Google Chrome. If you haven't got it installed and you use Google Chrome, check it out!

https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/lmnkconoadkllecpiphemgabejfemppo

The main update was the addition of a link to the Data Forms documentation. I use this extension all the time, and that was a link that I've been missing for a while. I finally got around to adding it in.

Any other suggestions are more than welcome. I'm thinking about making it into a truly wikidot extension — by allowing trusted members of the community to edit what links appear in the pop-up.

by leiger

Usually in the Halo: Reach Beta, two players will go up against each other and the better man leaves victorious.
But not this time! Two players enter, nobody leaves, and we all get a good laugh.

Looking for some "wow" moments?

These aren't necessarily funny, but you'll find yourself staring in disbelief at some of these shots. These guys either know what they're doing, or they're just getting lucky … but either way it's worth watching and that's all that matters.

Ten FTW: Halo Reach: Beta Kills by KillPie (Gameplay Countdown)

Note: The video I've just posted a link to is intended mostly for Halo players, whereas the video I embedded into this page is worth watching by everyone, including anyone that isn't usually interested in gaming. You're only losing 11 seconds of your life by watching it! ;-)

by leiger

by leiger

And take it from me (who bought this game a few years ago), that it's worth the purchase, even if "FREE" is a little too much for your budget.

Portal is a single-player only game that focuses on the player solving puzzles to move from one room to the next. It's a fun game that anyone can play, even if you've never played a PC game before. It's won several awards and the only complaint people have is that "it's too short". It ends before you know it, because it's so fun, and funny, and sad, and … well … just get it, alright?

And yes, that means you James, Ed, Rob, jimmybond, even Michal. Download it. Try it. I know you want to!

This is a limited-time offer until May 24th, and is even available to Mac users for the first time! Because I've already had the game for a while and obviously getting it a second time for free is pointless, I'll be signing my brother up to Steam and downloading it for him as well.

Steam works on a system that means you have to log in to play your games (although there is an offline mode) — and many games developers like this idea because it helps to prevent piracy. Steam also has a huge focus on community, so if you add people to your friends list, they can see what you're playing, and if you've won any "achievements" (awards) during game play. If you're playing a multi-player game, they can just drop in and join you.

How did I find out about this? Source: http://twitter.com/krhainos/status/13874983041

by leiger

There are a long line of Counter-Strike games. One of my favourites is CS: 1.6, but CS: Source is the most recent, even if it's gameplay, graphics and networking features are a bit outdated.

Valve has launched an extensive update to Counter-Strike: Source, now in beta. The update includes a host of new features and functionality developed in collaboration with Hidden Path Studios.

This beta will run for a limited time, and once complete, the update will be deployed to all Counter-Strike: Source owners for free via Steam.

With this new Counter-Strike Source release by Valve, we get the following new features:: (my comments in monospaced font underneath)

• 144 achievements added

Since the Xbox 360 introduced Achievements and due to it's resounding success, several other companies have included similar functionality in their own products. The PS3 introduced the not-very-well-integrated Trophy system, and Steam has added their own version of an achievement system. Now, it seems Counter-Strike: Source is receiving achievements as well. If you do well in a game, kill two people with one bullet, or perform some other similar feat, you'll most likely be awarded with a shiny achievement to show on your Steam profile. That's enough to make me play the game again! :)

• New lifetime player stats and summary screens

Counter-Strike: Source imitates Halo. While Bungie.net is a revolutionary example of how a developer's website can be integrated into a console game (and no-one has yet matched them on this front), it seems Valve wishes to have an attempt at doing this with CS: Source on the PC. How many kills have you made in total? How many headshots? Out of the several million bullets you've fired, how many actually hit an opponent? They're the kind of thing I expect and receive from Halo, and I'm hoping to see similar stats for my CS: Source gameplay.

• New match player stats and summary screens

Nice. We've always had a ranking at the end of each round, indicating who had the most kills and which team (Terrorists / Counter-Terrorists) won the match. I'm intruiged to see how this is going to be improved.

• New end of round display with MVP and interesting fact about a player

MVP, short for Most Valuable Player, is the player with the highest kill-to-death ratio in the game. Every game of Halo has an MVP, and the same goes for another favourite of mine - Modern Warfare 2. MVP's are now part of CS: Source. Awesome!

• Updated scoreboard with new icons, visual style, MVP stars, and avatar pictures

Avatar pictures? New visual style? The game is old, and it's menus show that more than anything despite the gameplay itself being very addictive. A refreshed scoreboard is one of the things the game desperately needs. Graphics and appearance aren't everything, but they sure are important when you're trying to get new players to buy the game.

• New cinematic death camera

New cinematic death camera? You're kidding?! This is the one difference between MW2 and Halo that I hate. Whenever I'm playing Halo and I'm sniped from across the map, I'm annoyed that I don't get the Modern Warfare 2 treatment and see the killer's viewpoint as he's killing me. It rubs in the fact that you just got your ass kicked, but at least you know where your killer is and can get some revenge when you respawn :P

• New domination and revenge system

Nice. Added to the cinematic death camera, I sure will be trying to get revenge as often as I can. Anyone that wants to kill me will die… until they respawn again.

• Added avatar icons to voice chat, scoreboard, and end of round display

Didn't you already say that? xD

• Incorporated many source engine updates

The source engine is what this game runs on. Adding source engine updates basically means improved gameplay and less bugs - that's only ever a good thing.

The game, which sells for the low price of only $19.99 USD has been at that price for a while, and still seems to be at that price despite the upcoming massive updates.

Existing owners of the game will receive the update for free, but I can't help wondering if this will bump the price up at least another $10 for new buyers. The only way to make sure you get it at a good price is to buy it now, on Steam. Counter-Strike: Source.

Interested in taking part in the beta? Well unfortunately, you're in the same situation as me and you missed out. But you can have a look at the source of the information in this blog post if you'd like, by clicking here: Counter-Strike: Source Beta

If you've got Steam, let me know. I wouldn't mind playing against a couple of Wikidotans on the new, refreshed version of Counter-Strike: Source, when it's released for the rest of us to try out!

by leiger

Have you ever wondered what time it is over in Wikidot-land, used Google to find out, then been disappointed because it's 1 AM over there and you're going to have to wait several hours until the Polish work day begins?

Well, I've got a solution for you. Kind of. You'll still be disappointed to find out that those Polish geniuses have only just settled down for their beauty sleep, but at least you'll be able to become disappointed faster now that you don't need to search Google for Polish time first! ;-)

I've added this little gem to the Wikidot Community site's sidebar, but I'm going to share the code with you so you can post it on your own Wikidot site or wiki as well.

And the code for it is this:

Or, more simply, just:

Click on the white rectangle box to go to timeanddate.com, which is where I got the code from originally. You can customise the appearance of it, or make it show a different timezone, if you'd like.

by leiger