Realizing the limitations, I brought the code back to my personal development machine which happens to be a Mac. This decision works from a engineering standpoint, but the code was not available to my padna, I could not easily access the code from outside my house and now the company must rely that I make backups of the code.

To address the concerns of backups and remove access to the files by myself and my padna, I wrote a quick little script with rsync. Rsync is an open source utility the provides quick incremental file transfer and is available under the GNU General Public License. Rsync typically comes packaged on most linux distros and OS X had it pre-installed.

In order to treat my development machine as the master for the syncing relationship and the QA server as a slave, the following conditions must be met:

1. File modified or created on the Development machine will be modified or created on the QA Server;
2. Files should be deleted on the QA Server that are no longer on the Development machine;
3. If a file has been modified on the QA Server, the modified file will be synced back to my Development machine.

With that in mind, here’s the script:


#!/bin/bash

logfile=”/path/to/backup.log”

src=”/path/to/development/machines/directory”
dest=”user@fqdn:/path/to/QA/directory”
opt=”-azu –delete -v –exclude ‘._.DS_Store’”

echo”" >> $logfile; echo “Backup: iMac->QA” >> $logfile

rsync $opt “$src” “$dest” >> $logfile

src=”user@fqdn:/path/to/QA/directory”
dest=”/path/to/development/machines/directory”
opt=”-az –exclude ‘._.DS_Store’”

echo”" >> $logfile; echo “Backup: QA->iMac” >> $logfile

rsync $opt “$src” “$dest” >> $logfile
The variables that need to be modified include the logfile, src, dest and opt (src, dest, and opt in two places). The logfile is the path and filename for where all output will be stored during the rsync. The first src is the path on the development machine that needs to be synced while the dest includes the username, fully qualified domain name and path to the destination directory on the QA Server. Finally, the first opt variable should include the options required to sync files from the development machine to the QA Server. In this case, a represents archive, z represents compressed, –delete represents deleting files in the destination that are no longer in the source, and the exclude statement stops the syncing of a Mac specific filename.

The second set of variables for src and dest are basically the exact opposite of the first set. The src in the second case changes to the QA Server while the dest is the development machine. The second opt should not include the –delete command.

While the script performs transfers incrementally and the script and process are simple, I’d suggest performing a trial run with just a couple of small files as the first sync could saturate your network connection.

Technorati Tags: rsync, sync, linux

The add-on claims that iMacros for Firefox can automate anything you do with Firefox. From my quick tests so far of pulling of reports from various sites, I am excited by the possibilities.

There is an iMacros for Internet Explorer plug-in as well as several versions of iMacros ranging in price from $49.95 to $499.

Check out everything you can do with iMacros after the jump.

Here are just a few examples of how you can use iMacros to automate your web browser.

(1) Form Filler & Password Manager

With iMacros for Firefox, you no longer need to check the same sites every day, remembering passwords, and filling out web forms. iMacros is the only form filler that can autofill web forms that stretch over several pages. All information is stored in human-readable, plain text files that can be easily edited. Passwords are stored securely with 256-Bit AES encryption. Users memorize only one master password and iMacros remembers all the others, providing a truly automated login experience, that beats the Solution to Enterprise Single Sign-On (SSO).

(2) Automated Download & Upload

iMacros can automate the download of images, files, or entire pages (with or without images). In the other direction, it can automate the upload of data to websites. You can use variables inside the macros and import data from CSV files. iMacros includes a user agent switcher, PDF download and Flash, and ad- and image-blocking functions. When combined and controlled with Javascript, the recorded Macros can script even very complex tasks.

(3) Data Extraction, Web Scraping/Mining & Enterprise Data Mash-Ups

The iMacros EXTRACT command automatically reads data from a website and exports it to CSV files – the exact opposite of filling out forms. iMacros includes full Unicode support and works with every language, including multi-byte languages such as Chinese. You can use this feature to download stock quotes, gather and compare web store prices, and more.

(4) Web Testing

Web professionals can use iMacros for functional, performance, and regression testing of web applications. The built-in STOPWATCH command captures precise web page response times. iMacros also includes support for many AJAX elements.

(5) Social Scripting (Social Bookmarking)

Sharing your favorite iMacros with friends and colleagues is easy. Simply right-click the macro to add it as a bookmark, or select “Run Everywhere” and embed the complete macro in a simple link. You can send the link to others, or embed it on your homepage, blog, or company intranet. Instead of telling your site visitors how to fill out a form, let iMacros do it for them. All the information is stored inside the link as a text string, with nothing stored on our servers, which is why iMacros work on intranets, too. See an example at del.icio.us/imacros/imacro.

(6) Other Uses

For more ideas on how to use iMacros, please visit www.iopus.com/imacros/firefox and/or our active support forum at forum.iopus.com.