vbscript: create system restore points with no fuss

Here's how to create a simple VBscript that will create a restore point when you double-click it:

1. Save the code below to, say, c:\system_restore.vbs:

Set SRP = GetObject( "winmgmts:\\.\root\default:Systemrestore" )
CSRP = SRP.CreateRestorePoint( "Before Changes", 0, 100 )

2. Double-click the script file you just created, any time you want to create a fresh System Restore Point.

It only takes a few seconds to do this. And no dialogues are shown to confirm that a Restore Point was created. If you want to double-check you can click "Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore" and click "Restore My Computer To An Earlier Time."

You'll see the restore point you just created (called "Before Changes") right there. Now be sure to cancel out of System Restore.

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linux: creating and using arrays in shell scripts

Bash arrays have numbered indexes only, but they are sparse, i.e. you don't have to define all the indexes.

An entire array can be assigned by enclosing the array items in parenthesis:

arr=(Hello World)

Individual items can be assigned with the familiar array syntax (unless you're used to Basic or Fortran):

arr[0]=Hello
arr[1]=World

But it gets a bit ugly when you want to refer to an array item:

echo ${arr[0]} ${arr[1]}

To quote from the man page:

The braces are required to avoid conflicts with pathname expansion.

In addition the following funky constructs are available:

${arr[*]};  # All of the items in the array
${!arr[*]}; # All of the indexes in the array
${#arr[*]}; # Number of items in the array
${#arr[0]}; # Length of item zero

The ${!arr[*]} is a relatively new addition to bash, it was not part of the original array implementation.

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vim: commenting-out lines of code esaily

For short ranges of basic prefixing comments (# or //), I've become fond of vim's visual block mode and block insert. To do this:

1. start visual block mode (with Ctrl-V)
2. adjust the selection with movement keys as needed. (marks can be used here)
3. once the selections are made, start block insert with 'I' (or append with 'A')
   NOTE: don't use the usual lowercase 'i' or 'a'
4. type the comment text (e.g. "#")
5. when you hit escape, comments will be added to all selected lines

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nice quote about indesign

Adobe has always said that InDesign is “the future of page layout”—but we think they’re selling themselves a bit short. With InDesign, the future is here today.

And, to our eyes, at least, it looks pretty cool.

source: "Real World Adobe InDesign CS4" (Kvern and Blatner)

linux: rename multiple files with one command

We're going to do this simple task with a simple regex find+replace in sed:

for i in *.avi
do
    j=`echo $i | sed 's/mymovies/myflicks/g'`
    mv "$i" "$j"
done

Can also be written on a single line as:

for i in *.avi; do j=`echo $i | sed 's/find/replace/g'`; mv "$i" "$j"; done

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linux: setting your machine's hostname properly

To setup the hostname manually on a Fedora or RedHat box, you need to edit two files:

• /etc/sysconfig/network
• /etc/hosts
  

1.  In the /etc/sysconfig/network file, modify the hostname:

NETWORKING=yes
HOSTNAME=fedora.hacking.com
GATEWAY=10.7.0.1

  2.  In the /etc/hosts file, modify the hostname:

# Do not remove the following line, or various programs
# that require network functionality will fail.
127.0.0.1 fedora.hacking.com fedora localhost.localdomain localhost

After making these changes to these files, the changes to the hostname should be permanent ( i.e. it will persist even across reboots). Otherwise, simply setting the hostname with the "hostname" command only affects the current session, and you lose the hostname change after the next machine reboot.

linux basics: ${var} vs $var

The "$" character introduces parameter expansion, command substitution, or arithmetic expansion. The parameter name or symbol to be expanded may be enclosed in braces, which are optional but serve to protect the variable to be expanded from characters immediately following it which could be interpreted as part of the name.

The basic form of parameter expansion is "${PARAMETER}". The value of "PARAMETER" is substituted. The braces are required when "PARAMETER" is a positional parameter with more than one digit, or when "PARAMETER" is followed by a character that is not to be interpreted as part of its name.

In other word, as a safety measure, always prefer ${var} over $var in your shell scripts.

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