Migrating jQuery 1.4.x to jQuery 1.6.x

When migrating from jQuery 1.4.x to jQuery 1.6.x you have to consider some changes.
I guess you can find all of them anywhere on the jQuery Blog but when you don’t have the time or the patience to read all of the posts you have to try and test it by yourself.

I found out some of the changes the hard way when I migrated the Matterhorn Engage UI. Here is a list (mainly for me to remember them):

• .attr and .prop
  • in jQuery 1.6 the handling of DOM attributes and DOM properties is split apart into separate methods
  • .attr first checks if the attribute is explicitly written in the HTML code, after that it looks at the object created by the HTML tag, and inspects its object property
  • .prop sets or gets properties on DOM elements
  • see jQuery 1.6 released
• for ajax calls there are no options like ‘yourAjaxCall.onreadystatechange = anyFunction;’ any more, you have to use ‘success’, ‘error’, etc. inside your ajax-request
• the function generation from jsonp ajax-requests now contains underscores (‘_’), so you have to adapt your save patterns on server side

Related sites:

• My Matterhorn Branch Issue Tracker for the migration
• jQuery Blog: jQuery 1.6 search results
• David Tong – Upgrading jQuery – from 1.4.x to 1.6.x

To be continued…

Building libfreenect with patched libusb under Mac OS X

You need:

• macports
• The following installed macports:
  • git-core
  • cmake
  • libtool
  • libusb-devel

1. Get sources:

• libfreenect:
  • git clone https://github.com/OpenKinect/libfreenect.git
• libusb:
  • git clone git://git.libusb.org/libusb.git

2. Apply patch and build libusb:

1. cd path/to/libusb
2. ./autogen.sh
3. patch -p1 < path/to/libfreenect/platform/osx/libusb-osx-kinect.diff
4. ./configure LDFLAGS=’-framework IOKit -framework CoreFoundation’
5. make
6. sudo make install

3. Start building libfreenect:

1. cd path/to/libfreenect
2. mkdir build
3. cd build
4. ccmake ..
   With the following changes:
   • LIBUSB_1_INCLUDE_DIR: /usr/local/include
   • LIBUSB_1_LIBRARY: /usr/local/lib/libusb-1.0.dylib
5. press ‘c’ and afterwards ‘g’ to generate and exit
6. cmake ..
7. make
8. sudo make install

Lisp: Emacs Autocomplete

Today I hacked some lisp in emacs because I got two new books (Let over Lambda & Land of Lisp).
After a while when the function-definitions became more frequent I missed a language-specific autocomplete (and didn’t only want to use the built-in autocomplete that completes words you wrote earlier) and after some research I found the solution: Emacs Autocomplete. It integrates different language-dictionaries and inserts new words on the fly (with the right settings).

After installing the autocomplete into .emacs.d I inserted the following lines into my .emacs-file to enable it:

;; add .emacs.d to load path
(add-to-list 'load-path "~/.emacs.d")

;; enable autocomplete
(require 'auto-complete-config)
(add-to-list 'ac-dictionary-directories "~/.emacs.d/ac-dict")
(ac-config-default)
(global-auto-complete-mode t)
(auto-complete-mode t)

To get a lisp-specific autocomplete you’ve got to include ac-slime (found at github): put it into your .emacs.d-folder and include it in your .emacs-file via

;; add lisp autocomplete-support
(require 'ac-slime)
(add-hook 'slime-mode-hook 'set-up-slime-ac)

and to switch on autocomplete globally you have to apply a “dirty fix”:

;; dirty fix for having AC everywhere
(define-globalized-minor-mode real-global-auto-complete-mode
  auto-complete-mode (lambda ()
                       (if (not (minibufferp (current-buffer)))
                         (auto-complete-mode 1))))
(real-global-auto-complete-mode t)

Now only one thing is missing: the mentioned inserting of new words on the fly:

;; create and add new words to the dictionary on the fly
(when (require 'auto-complete-config nil 'noerror)
(add-to-list 'ac-dictionary-directories "~/.emacs.d/ac-dict")
  (setq ac-comphist-file  "~/.emacs.d/ac-comphist.dat")
  (ac-config-default))

Emacs for Mac OS X

When switching from aquamacs to emacs you have to make some adjustments to use it properly under Mac OS X.
One of the adjustments is that you could not simply type in “alt-shift-7” to get the normal backslash “\”.
The solution:
Go to “Emacs” – “Preferences” – “Environment” – “Ns : GNUstep/Mac OS X specific features” and set

• the “Ns Command Modifier” -> “meta” and
• the “Ns Alternate Modifier” -> “No modifier“.

Now you can use your alt and meta-keys as usual.

Second I did not remember immediately how to set my previous colors and styles (e.g. the background color or the mouse color) so I will sum up my solution:

• open your “~/.emacs“
• type in (and replace my colors with your own)

(setq default-frame-alist
    (append default-frame-alist
        '((foreground-color . "LawnGreen")
          (background-color . "Black")
          (cursor-color . "LawnGreen"))))

And of course Emacs is much better than vim!

C++: Qt and SQL

Today I want to write something about Qt and its SQL-support. It is quite easy to use it, much more simple than working directly with ODBC and/or SQLite or other libraries because Qt has “build-in” support, you just have to add QT += sql to your .pro-file and specify which library you want to work with.

But let’s start now. I want to demonstrate how easy it is to create a simple timetable with SQLite that looks something like this if you wrap it into a GUI:

Here are the includes:

#include <QTableView>
#include <QSqlDriver>
#include <QSqlDatabase>
#include <QSqlQuery>
#include <QSqlTableModel>
// #include <QSqlError>

At first, create the database using SQLite via

QSqlDatabase db = QSqlDatabase::addDatabase("QSQLITE");
db.setDatabaseName("databaseName");

Then open it (and check it meanwhile) with

if(!db.open()) {
   exit(0); // or do something else
}

Now insert the table using a SQL query:

QSqlQuery query;
query.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS tableName ("
           "monday varchar(200), "
           "tuesday varchar(200), "
           "wednesday varchar(200), "
           "thursday varchar(200), "
           "friday varchar(200), "
           "saturday varchar(200), "
           "sunday varchar(200))");

After that create a model:

QSqlTableModel model;
model.setTable("tableName");
model.setEditStrategy(QSqlTableModel::OnManualSubmit);

If you choose “OnManualSubmit” as edit strategy you have to save the changes you make inside the model by your own (explanation comes later).
Then set the model header data (Monday-Sunday in the picture):

model.setHeaderData(0, Qt::Horizontal, "Monday");
model.setHeaderData(1, Qt::Horizontal, "Tuesday");
model.setHeaderData(2, Qt::Horizontal, "Wednesday");
model.setHeaderData(3, Qt::Horizontal, "Thursday");
model.setHeaderData(4, Qt::Horizontal, "Friday");
model.setHeaderData(5, Qt::Horizontal, "Saturday");
model.setHeaderData(6, Qt::Horizontal, "Sunday");

and set the model to the view to display it:

model.select();
QTableView view;
view.setModel(model);

But what if you want to add an additional line with an entry in every row? The best news is that you don’t have to write any SQL for adding or deleting if you don’t want to:

int rowCnt = model.rowCount();
model.insertRow(rowCnt);
for(int i = 0; i < model.columnCount(); i++) {
   model.setData(model.index(rowCnt, i), "Put this Entry in every Row");
}
model.submitAll();
model.select();
view.setModel(model);

And if you want to delete the last row:

model.removeRow(model.rowCount() - 1);
model.submitAll();
model.select();
view.setModel(model);

You have to call “submitAll” because of the selected strategy ”OnManualSubmit” that doesn’t save by it’s own.
To clear the whole database, drop the table by querying

query.exec("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS tableName");

After setting up a model and a view you can change your table inside the view, press “save” and everything else is “done by Qt”!

You can find the whole Application at CallToPower – Software – qTimeTable, have fun experimenting with it!

Java, C++: ClassLoader and Qt Resource System

Here a little comparison between the Java ClassLoader and the Qt Resource System:
If you want to load an icon and/or an image e.g. in a Java .jar-file you have to do it this way:

Icon icon;
Image image;
ClassLoader CLDR = this.getClass().getClassLoader();
String path = "src/to/images/name.png";
URL url = CLDR.getResource(path);
// An icon
if (!(url == null)) {
    icon = new ImageIcon(url);
}
// An image
try {
    image = ImageIO.read(CLDR.getResource(path));
} catch (IOException e) {
    // ExceptionHandling here
}

In Qt there is another approach:
The resources associated with an application are specified in a XML-based .qrc-file.
The specified paths are relative to the directory containing the .qrc-file (listed files must be located in the same directory or any sub-directory).
In the source-code the resources are accessible under the same name they have in the source tree, with a “:/” prefix.
Here an example:

<RCC>
    <qresource prefix="/dir/subDir" lang="en">
        <file alias="AliasName">subDir/FileName<file>
    <qresource>
</RCC>

In your source code you can access FileName (if FileName e.g. is a QFile) via

QFile file(":/dir/subdir/AliasName");

after adding the following line to your .pro-file:

RESOURCES = yourRsrcFileName.qrc

The option lang=”langCode” (here: “en”) is for the localization:
If you want to add another language to your application you have to have the file “AliasName_langCode” in your source tree.

And, of course, you don’t have to write the ressource file on your own if you use the QtCreator, there is a nice GUI included.

C++: How to include the boost library in XCode projects

0. Download the boost-Library and unzip it anywhere (here: “/Developer/Tools/boost”)

1. Create a project.

2. Right-click at the project-name and select “Get Info”

3. Set the “Header Search Paths” to the Folder you unzipped the library (here: “/Developer/Tools/boost”)

4. Ready to boost.

About videos, music and more…

This posting is no longer available due to a copyright claim by a very big company.

This posting is no longer available in your country.

Thanks to Superlevel for the Idea!

Applescript: Fast messenger status-message-change

Today kernelpanic twittered a cool Applescript for fast-changing your iChat-Status-Message I don’t want to withhold from you. Here’s the script with a small addition (I added the delay(seconds)):
[Applescript-editor-formatted image]

[Text]

repeat
	tell application "iChat"
		set the status message to "Status 1"
		delay (1)
		set the status message to "Status 2"
		delay (1)
	end tell
end repeat

And a similar Script for Adium:

[Applescript-editor-formatted image]

[Text]

repeat
	tell application "Adium"
		repeat with theAccount in accounts
			go away theAccount with message "Currently away..."
		end repeat
		delay (2.0)
		repeat with theAccount in accounts
			go away theAccount with message "...back in 10 minutes."
		end repeat
		delay (2.0)
	end tell
end repeat

Mac OS X – “Automator”: Combine PDF files

Today I had to find a program that combines/merges 2 or more PDF-files.
Because I didn’t want to use Adobe Acrobat (Pro?) I turned my internet search on and found an interesting program: The Mac OS X Automator.
Without reading any tutorial or something different (Automator is really self-explanatory, it’s like drag’n'drop everything!) I created a good-working “Automation”/Program that performs that task.
Here’s the workflow:

1. Ask for finder-items
2. Combine PDF pages
3. Move Finder Items

- Update 11.10.2009 -
Created a sub-site named Automator-workflows at www.calltopower.de/automatorworkflows where you can see screenshots of the workflows and/or download the workflows and/or programs. I created among other things “Save Pictures from the current website”, “Take screenshot”, “Take image from webcam (iSight or other)”, “Pictures to PDF”, “Images to PDF”.