Mac OS X Bible, Panther Edition

These services also appear in the Panther Services submenu:

• Import Image: Works only when you have a device, connected to the computer that can be accessed through the Image Capture application (described in Chapter 21). This device will typically be a digital camera or a scanner. Select the image you wish to import via the Image Capture interface, and it will be imported into your document. This service is helpful for quickly emailing a few photos you just took without importing all the photos in the camera.

• Open URL: Highlight a URL in your document, and select this command to open your default Cocoa Web browser (usually Safari) to show the Web page in a new window. Nominee for the Most Useful New Service award.

• Script Editor: Uses services provided by the Script Editor application for working with AppleScripts. These commands are meant for AppleScript developers (which could, and perhaps should, be you! See Chapter 23 for more on AppleScript). Three commands are available:

  • The Get Result of AppleScript command can be invoked by pressing Command-Shift-*. This command will replace the selected text, which must be an executable AppleScript, with the result of the executed script. For instance, type 123/45 * pi into a TextEdit document, select it, and run this command. The text will be replaced with the result of the AppleScript calculation, in this case 8.587019919812. Throw those calculators away!

  • The Make New AppleScript command will transfer the selected text, which should be part or all of an AppleScript, to a new script window in the Script Editor application.

  • The Run As AppleScript command will execute the selected text, which must be an executable AppleScript.

• Search with Google: Highlight any text, select this command, and your default Cocoa Web browser (usually Safari) will open to display the results of a Google search using your text.

• Send File to Bluetooth Device: This service is provided by the Bluetooth File Exchange utility, and is enabled only when you have a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver, either inside your Mac or connected to a USB port. Selecting this command opens the Bluetooth File Exchange utility to the Select File to Send window for you to navigate to the desired file. Clicking Send opens the Select Bluetooth Device window for you to pick the device to send to. Click Send to transmit the file to the device. (See Chapter 15 to read all about these Bluetooth utilities.)

Other Cocoa applications that you install may provide additional services. Services provided by a newly installed application may not become available until the next time you log in.

You can also obtain third-party services to install on your Mac OS X machine; many of them are freeware. Perhaps the best way to browse for them is to visit VersionTracker.com, click the Mac OS X tab, and enter services in the search field.

A good example of a third-party service is AtYourService, which allows you to add a selection of items to your Services menu. This shareware can look up selected text at Dictionary.com, AcronymFinder.com, VersionTracker, Yahoo Stocks, and the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB).

Third-party services will install to the System/Library/Services folder, where the icons of four services installed with Mac OS X 10.3 live. They are AppleSpellService, ImageCaptureService, SpeechService.service, and SummaryService.