MsgFiler is primarily an AppleScript Studio application. To perform the search on mailboxes, MsgFiler calls several home-grown PHP scripts. These scripts, however, don’t handle Unicode text all that well. As a result, when users search for mailboxes with accented characters, they invariably run into problems with MsgFiler.

I’ve thrown in some custom-subclasses and functions into the MsgFiler application that I can access from within the AppleScript Studio app. My goal is to rewrite the search algorithm using Cocoa/Objective-C. I’m eager to read up some pointers on how to successfully search Unicode strings under Mac OS X. Any tips from the development community on where to start?

I have a beta release of MsgFiler ready for testing. A number of people have been using this version to resolve the -1700 blocking bug. If you are still experiencing problems after using this app, send me an email and I’ll get you a version of MsgFiler with additional logging enabled.

This release has the following fixes and improvements:

• Fixed search problem when mailbox names with double quotes
• Fixed -1700 bug when searching mailboxes
• MsgFiler window receives focus properly when activated
• Added Close Window menu option
• MsgFiler no longer beeps when moving messages using the Return key

Things left on the to do list include:

• Better Unicode support
• Better compatibility with third-party mail plug-ins

You can download the latest beta release on the MsgFiler webpage.

The initial response to MsgFiler has been pretty good. That said, a number of users have been encountering a couple of errors when using MsgFiler. For instance, if you’re experiencing the following error dialog:

Can’t make current application into type anything (-1700)

You’ll want to wait for the next release. People who have been sending me this error all seem to have MacBook Pros, but I think the issue is with how the mailboxes have been configured.

Another issue that’s cropped up is handling Unicode characters. I’m currently identifying the source of these problem and will get a fix out soon!

Update: Here’s a list of bugs that we’ll be resolving in the next few days:

I get this error, Can’t make current application into type anything (-1700), when I try to file a message

I think the issue is due to the way the user’s IMAP server has been configured. MsgFiler builds the list of mailboxes from the Finder directory structure (since AppleScript is so slow). For people who have their IMAP servers configured in a particular way, this causes MsgFiler to barf when searching for a mailbox. This is why some people have the problem and others do not.

I get another error when trying to search for mailboxes.

If you have a mailbox with double quotes in the name, the MsgFiler may not work entirely. We are looking into the problem

I have mailboxes with accented characters / Unicode characters that can’t be found in MsgFiler

This is another problem that we are currently looking into

MsgFiler does not load properly into Mail. I can’t see the Move with MsgFiler menu item

This may be an incompatibility with other third-party mail plug-ins. We’re looking into it!

I’m happy to announce the availability of MsgFiler, a plug-in for Apple Mail which quickly files emails into existing mailbox folders. MsgFiler’s fast searching means you just have to type a few characters to find the right mailbox. Move selected messages with a click or open a mailbox without having to navigate the mailbox folder pane. MsgFiler is optimized for keyboard-only usage, perfect for Apple Mail power users.

I’ve been testing MsgFiler for some time now, and it’s made cleaning up my Inbox and organizing my mail much easier. If you want to get a handle on organizing your emails, MsgFiler is the app for you! For a limited time, the app is available for a low introductory price of US$8. Payment is easy and fast through PayPal or Kagi!

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Last week, there was a Palm Reunion at Junnoon, an Indian restaurant owned by Sabena, one of my former colleagues from Palm. The food was modern Indian, and it was delectably great! Thanks to Fanny for organizing and for Brian, Julie, Dave, Jon, Chung (sporting long-Adam hair!), and Raja for coming!

Click the link below to see photos from the evening!

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Bad news everyone. Rain in the Bay Area has cancelled today’s ride up Bohlman-On Orbit. The organizers have no (current) plans to reschedule the ride, which means the time trial up Page Mill Road is next on the schedule. On the one hand, I’m relieved, since I have heard such horror stories of Bohlman-On Orbit. Even with Felix’s Tank — his 33 lbs. mountain bike — I was not looking forward to the physical task this morning. On the other hand, I’m sad because I’m missing out on the fun and camaraderie of the Low-Key Hillclimbs.

Next week’s Race of Truth will have us going out single file every few minutes up Page Mill. I wonder if the organizers will have the slowest people go out first, spaced out so everyone will make it up to the top at the same time! That would be cool, but it would also mean I’ll be one of the first to leave! Over the years, Page Mill Road has been my nemesis. The first time I did it, I bonked on the way down Woodside/84. “What is this feeling? I feel so light-headed!” I said to myself, while wobbling down the road. I ended up stopping at some random person’s house to ask for a Coke to recharge my batteries! Lately, I’ve been either going up to the Park Entrance or reaching and descending Page Mill Road via Moody Road. I haven’t climbed up it all the way in a few years. On a good day, I could do Page Mill in about 50-55 minutes. Given my current condition, I think just over an hour is more likely.

Under the hood, Aperture stores information on an image in two places. The first is in a SQLite3 database, and the second is in an assortment of plist files. One would venture that this approach is used for data redundancy purposes and that the data is copied between the two methods on a frequent basis. If you choose to rebuild your Aperture Library by holding the option-key on startup, Aperture will recreate the SQLite3 database using the information stored in the plist files.

When discussing Aperture’s speed, people have rightfully focused on the computer’s processing power, the video card, or the speed of the hard drive. We should also take a look at Apple’s decision to use SQLite. From the SQLite website:

We are aware of no other embedded SQL database engine that supports as much concurrency as SQLite. SQLite allows multiple processes to have the database file open at once, and for multiple processes to read the database at once. When any process wants to write, it must lock the entire database file for the duration of its update. But that normally only takes a few milliseconds. Other processes just wait on the writer to finish then continue about their business. Other embedded SQL database engines typically only allow a single process to connect to the database at once.

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If you’ve been having Power Mac G5 Repair Extension Program for Power Supply Issues program. If you purchased your PowerMac between October 2005 and August 2006 and have been experiencing issues, send your PowerMac in for a free PSU replacement. Affected serial numbers include:

• CK539xxxxxx – CK608xxxxxx
• G8539xxxxxx – G8608xxxxxx
• YM539xxxxxx – YM608xxxxxx
• RM539xxxxxx – RM608xxxxxx

My Quad G5 falls in this range. I haven’t had the exact problem yet, but I have seen the computer’s fans suddenly turn on full blast while the computer is in sleep mode. When this happens, the computer won’t wake up from sleep, forcing me to turn off the computer and restart.

An Annoture user can’t run the application because the Aperture SQLite3 database can not be opened. He’s getting the error from the program and from the command line when manually trying to access the database.

Unable to open database file

Any Mac OS X and SQLite3 gurus know why this might be the case. This is the first time I’ve encountered where a user can’t access the database. He’s running Aperture 1.5.1 on OS X 10.4.8.

If you’ve been following the Ted Haggard scandal, you’ve got to read this article, published in May, 2005, in Harper’s Magazine. Soldiers of Christ has some of the most delicious and prescient ironies on Haggard that I’ve encountered while following this story. His true beliefs and desires were sitting right under everyone’s noses and in plain sight.

Some notable excerts from the article include:

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