Month: May 2008

It can be useful to convert text to audio in order to reduce the amount of reading from your screen or to be able to listen to information while mobile using your iPod.
The services menu that Mac friendly applications have already includes a Speech selection that will speak selected text but you can also add a Speak to iTunes Audiobook service so you can listen to any selected text later on your iPod when you are away from your computer.

From LifeHacker:

The package to install Speak to iTunes Audiobook is on the Mac OSX hints site. Note that you have to be running the Leopard version of OSX.

Also check out Service Scrubber which can be used to clean up the service menu to remove unused items.

NeoOffice is a capable application, affordable, and extendable with
macros and keyboard shortcuts.My daughter is used to Word however and
is looking for a keyboard shortcut to create a new page after the the
current cursor position page.
NeoOffice doesn’t have this function but it can provided through a a
macro activated by a keyboard shortcut.
This simple CreateNewPage
macro is an example of how NeoOffice can be
extended and customized through its macro language.
The following instructions are a simplified version of excerpts from
the NeoOffice
user manual on using Macros with screen shots added.

Saving Code as a Macro

Sometimes you may find code provided in a forum or in a text
document that you want to add as a macro like the CreateNewPage macro
linked to above. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Under the Tools choose Macros,
   then Organise Macros, and finally NeoOffice
   Basic…

   

   
   

2. If necessary, click on the disclosure triangle next to My
   Macros to show the items stored there.
   
   • It is not possible to add macros the NeoOffice Macros
3. Click on the disclosure triangle next to the Library where
   you want to store the macro.

   Note: while the Standard
   Library is selected by default, it storing Macros in the Standard
   library runs the risk of having those Macros deleted in certain
   circumstancs. Thus it is recommended to store all your macros in
   libraries you create and name. To create a new Library:

   1. Click on the Organizer
      button
   
   
   
   2. In the NeoOffice
      Basic Macro Organizer window, click on the Libraries
      tab

      
      

   3. Make sure the Location
      dropdown is set to My
      Macros & Dialogs

   4. Click on the New…
   5. Give the new Library a name like GlensMacros or
      something equally catchy.
   6. Click OK
      
   
   
   
   7. Click Close
4. Back in the NeoOffice
   Basic Macros, click on the the Module you want
   to add the Macro code to. Modules are represented by scroll-like icons.
   If you wish to create a new Module, do the following:
   1. Make sure the Library you want to add the Module to is
      selected
   2. Click on the Organizer
      button
   3. In the NeoOffice
      Basic Macro Organizer window, click on the Modules
      tab
   4. Give the new Module a name like GlensModule or
      something you like.
   5. Click OK
      
   
   
   
   6. Click Close
5. Once your desired Library and Module are selected, make
   sure that “Main” is highlighted in the right panel



6. Click on Edit.
7. Paste the code in anywhere below the Main/End Sub lines –
   making sure you don’t paste in the middle of any other macros you
   saved; a couple of lines after Main’s End Sub line is an obvious
   choice.





8. Click Save

Assigning a Shortcut Key to a Macro

1. Go to Tools>Customize…
2. Click on the Keyboard
   tab
3. In the Category
   box, scroll down to “NeoOfficeMacros” and highlight it
4. Burrow your way down through “user” and the library and
   module your macros are stored in. Eventually your new macros will be
   listed in the Function box
5. Highlight one of those macros
6. In the Shortcut
   Keys box select the key you want to assign to that macro
7. Set the radio button to specify if the key assignment is
   for all of NeoOffice or only for Writer
8. click Modify
   


9. Click OK

Now next time you want to create a new page in NeoOffice Writer, just enter command-N and the cursor will be at the top of it ready to enter a whole page of creativity.