June 18, 2006
MoblogImport v0.4
So, MoblogImport v0.3 was a pretty miserable failure. It worked fine for me, but only because I hadn't touched my TextAmerica account in so long that the template was way out of date and impossible for anyone else to replicate. I took a few hours today to rewrite the importing bits to better accommodate the new templates at TextAmerica. The new version has been tested successfully on the template "Red Sea." Important! Make sure after choosing the template you also the "Thumbs on Left" option! This is the only template combination I've tested, so this is likely the only combination for which it will work. If TextAmerica wasn't shutting down free accounts I'd be more than happy to support other templates, but seeing as how this is mostly a last ditch attempt to help out users about to be screwed by TextAmerica, I'm comfortable only supporting on specific set of inputs.
*Update* Those of you trying to upload images to MoblogUK and are having SMTP troubles, mat was kind enough to set up an STMP server at mail.moblog.co.uk. The server will only accept mail addressed to the moblg.net domain.
June 11, 2006
MoblogImport v0.3
A minor update to fix some incompatabilities that had arisen due to changes in the markup at TextAmerica. The app should once again successfully parse and download/email off your images from TextAmerica. Keep in mind that most of the caveats posted for the original version, still apply (see the Known Issues section of this post: http://www.firepile.com/software/archives/000133.html).
In addition, I've since upgraded to Visual Studio 2005/.NET 2.0. So you'll need to make sure you've got the .NET 2.0 framework installed. You can install it through Windows Update.
April 30, 2004
MoblogImport v0.2 Released
Fixed a few minor bugs, added the ability to clear the list, but the main update was the addition of threading to the main actions. The app will no longer lock up for the duration of importing or exporting.
April 28, 2004
MoblogImport v0.1
So, basically, Textamerica sucks. Their app is buggy (images just stop showing up), they take a very heavy handed approach to dealing with users, and then there was the whole SNAFU with their EULA asserting ownership over your images. Needless to say, I've been searching for a better alternative for awhile now. Recently that alternative presented itself in the form of MoblogUK. Run by a nice guy, there's no worry of someone else profitting from your images. I immediately created a blog there and started sending my new images in that direction. This led to the obvious problem, what to do with my images that were already resident at Textamerica? Which of course led to the obvious solution: write an app to import them! Thus, I give you: MoblogImport.
Details
C# Windows Form Application
Features
- Imports Moblog entries from Textamerica RSS feed
- Imports Moblog entries from Textamerica via screen scrape
- Exports Moblog entries via email
- Saves Moblog entries to disk and generates XML/XSL to view them locally
Requirements
- Any version of Windows that supports the .NET Framework (caveat: the app was only tested on Windows 2000)
- .NET Framework 1.1
- Many (most?) outgoing SMTP servers will throttle your connection attempts. If you try and send too many images in too short a time it will generate an error. There is logic in place to handle this, but it's not thoroughly tested. Basically I'd recommend using a mail throttle delay of around 10 seconds to be safe
- When opening a URL, not all Textamerica templates will import succesfully. I've tested it thoroughly on the template I used (Robot Army). I've also tested it to some extent on Simple Series: Green. Basically the closer the template to Robot Army, the more likely it will import correctly. I'd recommend simply switching your template to Robot Army or one of the Simple Series before running the screen scrape.
- There still seems to be a minor problem in the regex that parses the TextAmerica page, their output format has changed over time, so some older entries are not recognized.
The interface locks up while parsing pages or sending mail. I'm working on threading these processes so this doesn't happen. It's not called version 0.1 for nothing!Fixed in v0.2!
Known Issues
*Update* An ever helpful tester, discovered a bug that caused an exception when you clicked cancel when browsing for a Working Folder. This has been fixed. For the two people who may have already downloaded it, either don't click cancel or download the newest version ;).
*Second Update* How embarassing, just moments after seeing this posted to BoingBoing, Matt discovered another bug involving processing of additional pages when doing a screen scrape. It'd keep adding on to the current URL instead of the base URL, resulting in the app endlessly processing the second page. This has been fixed now.
*Third Update* Version 0.2 is here, fixed a few minor bugs, but most importantly, threaded most actions, so now the app doesn't lock up when you're importing or exporting. Further updates to the application will not be detailed in this post. Check the main software page for continuing details.
Download MoblogImport v0.2
Continue reading "MoblogImport v0.1"...October 26, 2003
Terminal Server Monitor v0.1
So, our production environment at work has three servers with SQL Enterprise Manager installed. Each of those three servers has two available Terminal Server connections. We have 7 developers and/or admin who may need access to those Terminal Server connections at any given time. When I was working from the office it wasn't difficult to login, since there are only two machines in the building with the production VPN installed, it was easy enough to see if the machines were being used, and if not, it was easy enough to walk over and see if they were already connected. However, now that I'm working remotely, I find myself searching for a server with an available connection whenever I need to access the database in our production environment. So I did what anyone would do in that situation, I built a C# app to monitor the different Terminal Servers I access on a daily basis so I don't have to hunt and peck for one with an available connection. Without further ado, I give you the aptly named, Terminal Server Monitor.
Details:
C# Windows Form application
Features:
Monitor Available Connections to Terminal Servers
Disconnect existing Connections to Terminal Servers
Requirements:
Windows 2000/XP Professional
.NET Framework 1.1
Download the executable: Terminal Server Monitor v0.1. Just unzip anywhere you like and run.
Download the source (licensed under the GPL for now): Terminal Server Monitor Source v0.1.
Fine print:
This application is supplied as-is and without warranty. If for some reason it blows up your machine, I'm sorry, but it's not my fault. It has only been tested on my machine (Win2K SP4, running .NET Framework 1.1) and I make no guarantees that it currently does, or will ever run anywhere else. If you'd like to see something added, changed, or fixed, feel free to leave a comment here and i'll take it under advisement, but the chances of it being done are highly dependent on my mood. Why not download the source and try and change it yourself?
