Flowing Fix: Controlling multiple computers with one keyboard and mouse

 Barrier

A virtual KVM switch, allowing for local network control of multiple computers (running either MS Windows, macOS, or Linux) using a single keyboard and mouse. Barrier is a fork of  the Synergy 1.9 codebase (more info on Barrier: https://github.com/debauchee/barrier)

Download link: https://github.com/debauchee/barrier/tags

Note: a common issue is not creating an SSL cert on Windows (via  https://github.com/debauchee/barrier/issues/231)

First, install openssl (either with Git https://git-scm.com/  or standalone https://www.openssl.org/ ), then:

cd %LOCALAPPDATA%\Barrier\SSL

mkdir Fingerprints

openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -subj /CN=Barrier -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout Barrier.pem -out Barrier.pem

openssl x509 -fingerprint -sha1 -noout -in Barrier.pem > Fingerprints\Local.txt

If you use WSL, I recommend you to do it from there, replacing %LOCALAPPDATA% with your Windows path.

If you use WSL, I recommend you to do it from there, replacing %LOCALAPPDATA% with your Windows path.

Flowing Fix: Including Computations in LaTeX

Below are two options for embedding coding into LaTeX files that can be executed and update values in the LaTeX file.

• PythonTeX (Python code inside of LaTeX files)journal paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1749-4699/8/1/014010

• MATSweave (using Octave or MATLAB code inside of LaTeX files) webpage: http://staffwww.dcs.shef.ac.uk/people/N.Lawrence/matweave.html

Tracker: Video Analysis and Modeling Tool

Tracker: Video Analysis and Modeling Tool is free Java-based software for Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux
For more information: http://www.cabrillo.edu/~dbrown/tracker/

KMLCSV Converter

Useful application to convert CSV to KML files and KML to CSV files:

The KMLCSV Converter is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux
https://choonchernlim.com/kmlcsv/

Flowing Fix: Create Application Shortcut in Chrome

1) Select the "Customize and control Chrome Chrome" button at the upper-right of the Chrome window (denoted by three vertical dots).

2) Select "More Tools"

3) Select "Create shortcut"

Figure denoting the first 3 steps to Create Shortcut in Chrome

4) Edit the "Shortcut name"

5) Check "Open as window"

6) Press "Create" button (a new window should open and an associated icon should appear in either the MS Windows taskbar or the Dock on the macOS)

7) Right-click on that icon (on the Taskbar or Dock) and
     - on MS Windows, select "Pin to taskbar"
     - on macOS, select "Options" >> "Keep in Dock"




Reference:
https://www.sorendam.com/create-application-shortcut-chrome-mac/

Flowing Fix: How do I get those data points off an image? [revisited]

A while back, we posted how to get data off an image by running digitizing software on your local system (see the link to the prior post below). However, if you have limited admin access to install/run the software (or don't want to install software), WebPlotDigitizer is a web-based tool that runs directly your web browser https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer/ that allows you to extract data from plots, images, and maps

Link to prior post:
https://digitalspigot.blogspot.com/2011/10/flowing-fix-how-do-i-get-those-data.html

Flowing Fix: Mathpix Snipping Tool

There are times when you need to replicate an equation or block of text from a PDF file. If the PDF file was converted from a typed file, chances are that the text in the PDF can be selected. However, for equations (and if the PDF is image-based), you were out of luck, until now. Mathpix Snipping Tool is perfect for capturing a screenshot of the equation or text and automatically converts it to LaTeX. It is almost magical, capable of converting typed and handwritten information to LaTeX.
Download Mathpix Snipping Tool for MS Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu from https://mathpix.com/

Flowing Fix: Embedding math equations and symbols in Inkscape

You can embed equations and math symbols using LaTeX. In Inkscape versions 0.48(and above) this option was introduced through the top menu: Extensions  >> Render >> LaTeX

However, before you can see the LaTeX option in the Render menu on MS Windows machines, you have to have the following installed:

1.  Install LaTeX: MikTeX  http://miktex.org/ (for Windows)
2. Ghostscript: http://ghostscript.com/download
3. Install pstoedit (with the SVG plugin):  https://sourceforge.net/projects/pstoedit/
4. Then update "path environmental variables" to include the pstoedit folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\pstoedit) OR move the pstoedit folder to C:\Program Files\Inkscape

via
http://wiki.inkscape.org/wiki/index.php/LaTeX
http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/257147/how-to-use-latex-with-inkscape-mac-os-x


Another option to easily add Greek letters within Inkscape using Unicode
html version: http://www.physics.nmt.edu/~raymond/software/howtos/greekscape.xhtml
pdf version: http://www.physics.nmt.edu/~raymond/software/howtos/greekscape.pdf



------- More about Inkscape below------------

Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org) is a free and open source professional vector graphics editor for MS Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

For tutorials on Inkscape:
http://inkscape.org/en/learn/tutorials/
http://pigux.com/deviant/source/tutorials/InkscapeTutorial.pdf

Other learning resources:
 http://inkscape.org/en/learn/

Flowing Fix: Biber fails with error missing "recode_xdata.xml"

In short, the cache files are corrupted and need to be removed. Delete the cache folder with the files and compile the document again.

You can find the cache folder path by looking in .blg file or by using the command:  biber --cache

For more information see instructions at the following link:
http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/140814/biblatex-biber-fails-with-a-strange-error-about-missing-recode-data-xml-file

Flowing Fix: View RAW images natively in Windows

Mac users have the ability to view RAW images natively in OS X.  However, Windows users can have the same ability by installing the  Microsoft Camera Codec Pack (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26829)

For more details on viewing and editing RAW images natively in Windows see this article:
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/photography-video-capture/cameras/how-to-view-and-edit-raw-natively-in-windows-984141

Flowing Fix: Interpolation in MS Excel using XonGrid Interpolation AddIn

MS Excel is a very useful software program and it has many built in functions. We often hear, " How do I interpolate in Excel, where is the interpolation function?"  As many functions as Excel has, it still lacks a simple function to perform quick interpolations. Yet, it should be stated that it is possible to pair up functions (e.g., using forecast, offset, and match functions) to basically performance the interpolation as illustrated here:
http://www.blueleafsoftware.com/Products/Dagra/LinearInterpolationExcel.php

However, this method is not as intuitive as having a simple build in function. There is an XLL file that you can add-in to Excel entitled XlXtrFun ( http://www.xlxtrfun.com/XlXtrFun/XlXtrFun.htm ), however it is not compatible with Excel 2007 or higher versions. Furthermore, at the time of this post it is not possible to download the zipped file from the above website, which makes XlXtrFun a non-viable option.

Which brings us to the motivation for this post:

XonGrid Interpolation AddIn (http://xongrid.sourceforge.net/) is a freely available add-in for Excel which works for both the 32 and 64 bit versions of Excel and is also compatible with the older and newer versions of Excel (e.g., Excel 2003, 2007, 2013) unlike XlXtrFun. While XlXtrFun has many more functions than XonGrid, if you are looking for Excel interpolation add-in functions, XonGrid is perfect for you.

As a nice bonus to improve computations if you are doing many simulations interpolations of the same basic dataset, the XonGrid interpolation functions can be used as part of array functions, as mentioned in http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/introducing-array-formulas-in-excel-HA001087290.aspx. Instead of using the sum function mentioned in the above article, you can use the interp1d function as part of the XonGrid package. Be sure to fix the data range with the $ characters, so that when the array function is populated  in each cell, the data range is not changed, only the xo value change which will corresponded to the desired yo value that you find.

Flowing Fix: Show Hidden Files on your Computer

Some times you really need to access special data files which operating systems typical hide.  Here is how you go about unhiding those files.  Warning: this files are hidden for a reason, so please take care with manipulating the files.

Mac OSX
Option 1: via Terminal command line
To enable hidden files/folders in finder windows:
1) Open Finder
2) Open the Utilities folder
3) Open a terminal window
4) Copy and paste the following line in:
defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES
5) Press return
6) Now hold ‘alt-option’ on the keyboard and right click on the Finder icon
7) Click on Relaunch
After Finder relaunches you should be able to see the any hidden files or
folders (which will appear as lighter icons compared to normal file icons).
8) After completing the you task with the hidden files, it is best to re-hide the files.  Follow the same steps (1-7) above but this time replace step 4 terminal command with the following:
defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles NO

Option 2: via free software
If you do not like the terminal method, you can use this free software: hideswitch, from http://www.creativecag.com/software



MS Windows 7
1) Control Panel
2) In search window type, Folder Options and select it
3) Click the View tab
4) Under advanced settings, click the Option button to "Show hidden files, folders, or drives"
5) [optional], it is recommended to UNCHECK the option to "Hide extensions for known file types"

Flowing Fix: How to quickly mirror your data to a second hard drive

Robust File Copy (or Robocopy)  is a command-line command to replicate directories. It is a standard feature in Windows since Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

To help us use  the "robocopy" command more readily we create simple batch files

1) In Windows, open Notepad and enter the following information into the new text file:


set log=C:\tmp\LogName.log
set opts=/NP /XJ /R:0 /COPY:DAT /E /LOG+:%log% /TEE
del /F /Q %log%
robocopy "C:\yourSourceFolder" "F:\yourDestinationFolder" %opts%

Note: "C:\yourSourceFolder"  and "F:\yourDestinationFolder" should be replaced with your source and destination folders. 

2) Then, save this text file and change the extension to ".bat" to create a DOS batch file.

3) To run, just double click on the .bat file

About the batch file you just created:

First line: defines the name and location to store the log file.

Second line: sets the options required to mirror the data 

     /NP -  turns off the progress of copying of the copying operation

     /XJ  -  excludes junction points (important for user folders on Windows 7, etc.)

     /R:0  -  sets the retries for failed copies to zero

     /COPY:DAT  -  Specifies the file properties to be copied, DAT is Data, Attributes, and Time stamps

     /E  -  Copies subdirectories (including empty directories)

     /LOG+:  -  Writes the status output to the log file (appends the output to the existing log file)

     /TEE  -  Writes the status output to the console window, as well as to the log file.

Third line: deletes the log file before running.

Fourth line: executes "robocopy" to copy the data from "C:\yourSourceFolder" to "F:\yourDestinationFolder" using the options provide on line two of the batch file.

For more information about robocopy and list of options refer to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc733145(v=ws.10).aspx

Help! My Access Database Is Locked!

When a Microsoft Access database is opened, the database engine (known as the JET engine) creates a lock file aka the LDB file.  These LDB files are a known format and contain information about who has opened the database.  This can be useful in certain situations.

Let's say that you use ArcGIS, which can use Access databases for the backend.  You opened the database using ArcGIS and you want to make some changes to the schema.  But ArcGIS won't let you because the schema is locked.  Help!  What can you do?  Enter the LDB File Viewer program.  Simply open the program, drag a LDB file onto the programs window, and it will tell you which computer has the database locked.

Get it!

For completeness sake, the source code is in C# and is as follows:

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;

namespace AccessLockFileViewer
{
  public partial class AccessLockFileViewer : Form
  {
    public AccessLockFileViewer(string[] files)
    {
      InitializeComponent();
      if (files != null && files.Length > 0)
      {
        this.textBox1.Text = ParseFile(files[0]);
      }
    }

    private void Form1_DragDrop(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
    {
      if (e.Data.GetDataPresent(DataFormats.FileDrop))
      {
        string[] files = (string[])(e.Data.GetData(DataFormats.FileDrop));
        foreach (var file in files)
        {
          string text = ParseFile(file);
          this.textBox1.Text += text;
        }
      }
    }

    string ParseFile(string file)
    {
      /*
       *  For each person who opens a shared database, the Jet database engine writes an
       *  entry in the .ldb file of the database. The size of each .ldb entry is 64 bytes.
       *  The first 32 bytes contain the computer name (such as JohnDoe). The second
       *  32 bytes contain the security name (such as Admin). The maximum number of
       *  concurrent users that the Jet database engine supports is 255. Therefore, the
       *  .ldb file size is never larger than 16 kilobytes.
       */
      using (var stream = new FileStream(file, FileMode.Open))
      {
        BinaryReader reader = new BinaryReader(stream);
        string text = "";
        for (int i = 0; i < reader.BaseStream.Length; i += 64)
        {
          byte[] bin = reader.ReadBytes(32);
          StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
          for (int b = 0; b < 32; b++)
          {
            if (bin[b] == 0)
            {
              break;
            }
            sb.Append((char)bin[b]);
          }
          string user = sb.ToString();


          bin = reader.ReadBytes(32);
          sb = new StringBuilder();
          for (int b = 0; b < 32; b++)
          {
            if (bin[b] == 0)
            {
              break;
            }
            sb.Append((char)bin[b]);
          }
          text += sb.ToString() + "@" + user + "\r\n";
        }
        stream.Close();

        return text;
      }
    }

    private void Form1_DragEnter(object sender, DragEventArgs e)
    {
      if (e.Data.GetDataPresent(DataFormats.FileDrop))
      {
        e.Effect = DragDropEffects.Copy;
      }
      else
      {
        e.Effect = DragDropEffects.None;
      }
    }

    #region Windows Forms Code

    /// 

    /// Required designer variable.
    /// 
    private System.ComponentModel.IContainer components = null;

    /// 

    /// Clean up any resources being used.
    /// 
    /// true if managed resources should be disposed; otherwise, false.
    protected override void Dispose(bool disposing)
    {
      if (disposing && (components != null))
      {
        components.Dispose();
      }
      base.Dispose(disposing);
    }

    #region Windows Form Designer generated code

    /// 

    /// Required method for Designer support - do not modify
    /// the contents of this method with the code editor.
    /// 
    private void InitializeComponent()
    {
      this.textBox1 = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();
      this.SuspendLayout();
      // 
      // textBox1
      // 
      this.textBox1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(13, 13);
      this.textBox1.Multiline = true;
      this.textBox1.Name = "textBox1";
      this.textBox1.ReadOnly = true;
      this.textBox1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(290, 202);
      this.textBox1.TabIndex = 0;
      // 
      // AccessLockFileViewer
      // 
      this.AllowDrop = true;
      this.AutoScaleDimensions = new System.Drawing.SizeF(6F, 13F);
      this.AutoScaleMode = System.Windows.Forms.AutoScaleMode.Font;
      this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(317, 230);
      this.Controls.Add(this.textBox1);
      this.Name = "AccessLockFileViewer";
      this.Text = "LDB File Viewer";
      this.DragDrop += new System.Windows.Forms.DragEventHandler(this.Form1_DragDrop);
      this.DragEnter += new System.Windows.Forms.DragEventHandler(this.Form1_DragEnter);
      this.ResumeLayout(false);
      this.PerformLayout();

    }

    #endregion

    private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox textBox1;

    #endregion

  }

  static class Program
  {
    /// 

    /// The main entry point for the application.
    /// 
    [STAThread]
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
      Application.EnableVisualStyles();
      Application.SetCompatibleTextRenderingDefault(false);
      Application.Run(new AccessLockFileViewer(args));
    }
  }
}

Flowing Fix: Creating Animated GIFs

Sometimes you might need to have an animation in a PowerPoint presentation and the standard animation controls are not quite what you need. Consider creating you our custom animated GIF.

Multiplatform:

http://www.onyxbits.de/giftedmotion

Photoscape (portable on Windows)

http://photoscape-portable.en.softonic.com/

Oops, I didn't save my Excel or Word file

On Windows:
Ever forget to save an Excel file, exit Excel, and then press "No" to the Save prompt?  Here's what you can do to recover your file if that happens (this is for Office 2010).

Open Excel, go to File, then click on Options.  Click on the Save section, and find the AutoRecover file location and copy it (this method will only work if you have the "Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving" option checked).  Open Windows Explorer, paste that in.  Any autosaved versions of your file will be listed there.

On Mac:
(via http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/recovering-autorecover-files-in-word-for-mac-2011.html )

Recovering AutoRecover Files in Word for Mac 2011

By Geetesh Bajaj and James Gordon

If your power goes out or your computer malfunctions when working on an Word for Mac 2011 document, all you have to do is open the application again. Word 2011 for Mac looks for and opens any AutoRecover files for the document(s) that you were working on when an unexpected crash occurred. Your document opens with “Recovered” appended to the filename. Choose File→Save As from the menu bar to restore the original filename and location.

Word for Mac can recover files that were open because, by default, Word autosaves your document every ten minutes while you’re working on it. If you want, you can change the save time interval within the AutoRecover setting as follows:

1. Choose Word→Preferences→Save from the menu bar.
   Word’s Save preferences are displayed.
   
2. Change the number of minutes in the Save AutoRecover Info Every: [X] Minutes setting.
   The default is 10 minutes. Entering a lower number saves more often, but you may notice Word is more sluggish when it saves so often. Entering a higher number may make Word perform better, but you may lose more changes if a power outage or computer crash occurs.
   You can deselect this check box if you don’t want Word to save an AutoRecover file. You might do this for extremely large documents that take a long time to save. Of course, if you experience a power outage or computer crash, you will lose all your changes since the last time you manually saved the file.
   You don’t need to select the Always Create Backup Copy check box. With AutoRecover and Time Machine, the bases are covered. The option is there only for backward compatibility.
3. Click OK when you're finished.

Rarely, Word might not automatically display the AutoRecover file for the document(s) you were working on the next time you open Word. In that case, do the following in Word to open the AutoRecover file:

1. Choose File→Open from the menu bar.
2. Type AutoRecover or type a keyword or phrase in the Spotlight Search box in the top-right corner of the Open dialog.
3. Double-click the most recently saved AutoRecover file, or select the file and click Open. If you did a keyword or phrase search, use the Last Opened information to help you choose a likely file to open.
   If the file you want is grayed-out, choose All Files in the Enable pop-up menu, which allows you to open any file type.

You can also use Mac OS X Time Machine to recover any file that you’ve saved at least once. When you use Word for Mac, it’s nearly impossible to lose more than a few minutes’ worth of work thanks to AutoRecover and Time Machine.

Google SketchUp

SketchUp: (http://sketchup.google.com/)
A powerful and easy to use program to create 3D models. You can also import them to Google Earth

Picasa by Google

Picasa: (http://picasa.google.com/ )
Organize, edit, and share your photos.  Many powerful features like face detection, GPS tagging, Google Earth connectivity, and more.

Additional resource to learn how to use it

http://geeksontour.tv/learning-library/picasa/

Flowing Fix: How to create custom animations for PPT presentations

Powerpoint can handle gif images which allows for the image to animate without using the action settings within Powerpoint. Animate your logo or other graphic to make an aesthetic impact on your audience. 

Applications to create gifs:
Photoscape (MS Windows): http://www.photoscape.org/
GIFfun (Mac OS X): http://www.stone.com/GIFfun/

Note: Use Gimp and/or Inkscape to help edit images prior to sequencing with the above applications

GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program

Though GIMP is often well known; it is worth mentioning because despite its steep learning curve, its capabilities are impressive and extremely useful.
http://www.gimp.org/