Hippo now provides additional functionality through AppleScript.
Any AppleScript can be placed directly in Hippo's folders. Unlike a regular application, you do not need to use an alias (although this will work).
These scripts are provided as run-only 'droplets'. Registered users of Hippo are entitled to the commented source files for the scripts. Please request them in the 'comments' dialog of the 'Register' application (Press the speech bubble button by the word 'Hippo'). Alternatively email Cogco at cogco@kagi.com.
Many of these scripts need to be initialised before the become useful. The procedure is the same in each case: Make a copy of the script for each folder you want to work with. Double click on the script and use the choose folder dialog to select a destination. Rename the script to reflect the destination.
Note: In the following text, the word 'files' can generally be considered to mean 'files and/or folders'.
If you experience 'Out of Memory' errors when running these AppleScripts, you should increase the amount of memory allocated to the droplet. Select the droplet in the Finder and choose 'Get Info' from the File menu (or from the Contextual Menu !) - try increasing the preferred size in increments of 100k until you no longer get the error.
Hippo does not require that these AppleScripts be installed in its folder. You are encouraged to install only those scripts of use to you and develop your own scripts for use with Hippo.
The ability to run AppleScripts is disabled after you have opened 500 files with Hippo. Registration removes this limitation.
?/?
This script does two things:
1. if a single file is dropped on it, it shows the current file and creator type, which can optionally be edited. You must enter it in the form: "TYPE/CRTR" where TYPE is the four character file type and CRTR is the four character creator type.
2. If a group of files is dropped on the script, the user is prompted to enter a new type and creator code for the files. ALL of the files will be set to this new type.
FileTyper
This script is designed to be configured outside of Hippo. The user should decide which file types s/he may wish to have available on HIppo's menu. Then make as many copies (command-d) of FileTyper as file types. Now click on each copy and select the file you want have its type and creator recorded. Now rename that copy of FileTyper to reflect the chosen file type.
Now any files that are dropped onto the script will have their file type and creator changed to the preset type and creator
Reveal in Finder
This simply tells the Finder to open the folder containing the particular file dropped on it. It isn't much use when used in the Finder - obviously you need to be able to see the file in order to drag and drop it onto the script. However, It is very useful to be able to select a Hippo File and view the contents this way.
FileMover
When this script is double clicked, you are prompted to choose a folder in which you want files to be moved to. In future, files dropped on this script will be moved to this location. (Note, this is a Finder-like move. If the file or folder is being moved between volumes, it will actually perform a copy.) You can also choose wether you want to be warned before FileMover overwrites a file with the same name. Choosing not to warn will speed up this script by a significant amount.
Customise this script in the same manner as the FileTyper script. Remembering to change each copy's name to something sensible.
AliasMaker
This behaves exactly like the FileMover script except it makes an alias to the files in the selected location.
FileCopier
Again, this is like FileMover, except that a new copy of the file is always made at the new location leaving the old version intact.
CopyNewer & CopyOlder
These scripts copy files to the specified location so long as those files are either newer or older than the files they are replacing. If a file does not exist in the destination, it is also copied there.
CompareFiles, CompareNewer & CompareOlder
These scripts compare the files in the list with those in the pre-set folder and turn the file label to red if the modification dates are either different, newer or older (depending on the script). Note, if you are using a Hippo List, some of the files refered to may not be visible in the Finder. You may want to use the 'Reveal in Finder' script in order to ensure you spot all the relevant files.
FileDeleter
This script deletes any files from its pre-set folder that have the same name as the files dropped on it. It leaves the files dropped on it untouched.
Closing Note
Under certain circumstances, when you have two or more volumes (disks, partitions or network volumes) mounted on the desktop with the same name, Hippo and these AppleScripts may fail to work. This is a problem with the way that AppleScript and AppleEvents pass information about files. For this reason we recommend that you do not have multiple volumes with the same name. This is not a bug with Hippo, and you may also experience problems with other applications or AppleScripts not part of the Hippo package.
