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Get File MIME Type from Command Line
28.2.2019
I’ve gotten skilled at shell scripting over the years. I love a good GUI but knowing how to automate makes you a much more powerful engineer. Much of my scripting requires recursing over directories and processing a file if it meets a given criteria, which is often file extension or MIME...
List USB Devices from Command Line
27.2.2019
I was recently creating a Recalbox with my 5 year old son and it was an awesome experience; I saw the excitement and curiosity in his eyes while helping him put together a video game machine. We added NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 games to the device but it became apparent that the N64 controller...
CSS :placeholder-shown
4.2.2019
One of the first plugins that would hit a new framework in the early days of JavaScript frameworks was a placeholder plugin, which is why we were so excited when HTML5 brought us the placeholder attribute. Then CSS lovers like me were thrilled when the CSS spec allowed us to style placeholders....
Set Desktop Wallpaper from Command Line on Mac
31.1.2019
Whenever I need to accomplish a basic task that typically calls for interacting with a UI, I challenge myself to complete the task from command line. After all, most UIs are simply a mask over basic commands, especially when it comes to the operating system. Suddenly I feel like an automation...
Mac Dark Mode from Command Line
30.1.2019
One of the best professional decisions I ever made was switching to a dark text editor theme. I suffered from horrible headaches for years, partially caused by late night coding sessions with blindingly bright computer screens. Recently Apple implemented a dark OS theme which helps my eyes,...
React indeterminate
22.1.2019
I’ve fallen in love with React.js and JSX over the years; state-based rendering and a logical workflow have made me see the light of this modern framework. That doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes get a bit frustrated that the “simple” things seem harder than they should...
JavaScript Labels
15.1.2019
No matter how long you’ve been a JavaScript developer, there will always be language features that you didn’t know about until you saw them in a fringe piece of code. Your reaction generally is a bit like: One of those features I see developers quizically trying to figure out...
Colorized Brackets for IDE
13.1.2019
Coders treat their text editors and IDE’s like fragile beings, and for good reason: we spend a ton of time in them and having our tweaks and extensions can make us incredibly productive for our personal workflows. I always love hearing about what extensions and workflows other developers...
Git Checkout at Previous Timeframe
9.1.2019
In the past I’ve blogged about checking out branches created on a specific date as well as sorting git branches by date, but one frequent usage of git and dates is checking out a commit at a given time in the past. For example, I often say “Weird, this feature was working a month...
How to Change the WordPress Media Upload Directory
2.1.2019
One thing I’ve always missed about the “old” way of web development was the simplicity of FTP. No deploy scripts, no fuss: simple drag and drop of files and the files are there. I’ve used FTP for assets on this blog for over a decade but I’m finally ready to be lazy...
How to Send an iMessage From Command Line
30.12.2018
As somewhat of a recluse, believe me when I say that text messages, instant messenger, and iMessage have relieved me of loads of anxiety and wasted time with short, meaningless voice chat. It’s been a decade since these communication types have become popular so we’ve moved on from...
Nested Destructuring
25.12.2018
Destructuring in JavaScript can initially feel confusing but the truth is that destructuring can make your code a bit more logical and straight forward. Destructuring does look a bit more complex when you’re looking for a property several objects deep, so let’s have a look at how to...
JavaScript waitForever
10.12.2018
Writing mochitests for new features in DevTools can be difficult and time-consuming. There are so many elements interacting in an async manner that I oftentimes find myself using the debugger to debug the debugger! In the case where it’s unclear what interaction isn’t working...
Get Viewport Lines and Columns in CodeMirror
27.11.2018
CodeMirror is an amazing utility for presenting code in a browser environment. Syntax highlighting, widgets, and a number of advanced functions make it a unique, useful tool. When using CodeMirror inside the Firefox DevTools debugger, I found that adding hundreds of column breakpoint widgets...
Replace Last Command in Shell
26.11.2018
Whether I fat-finger a command or my MacBook Pro keyboard’s keys don’t want to respond like they should, I’m frequently misspelling commands. What’s more frustrating is that many of these commands are long, taking making fixing theme time-consuming. Luckily a Twitter...
Object.fromEntries
9.11.2018
The Object object has been buffed with useful methods over the past few years. Object.keys, Object.values, Object.freeze, and Object.assign all address frequently desired functionality. One of the new Object methods is fromEntries, which accepts a Map or map-like array nesting and converts it...
Download a YouTube Channel’s Videos
7.11.2018
YouTube is an endless source of entertainment, be it stuff you’re proud to share you like or stuff you would rather others not know about (see: David’s history of watching old WWE Royal Rumbles). I watch a lot of YouTube in hotels and on flights when I don’t have internet access...
Turn Bluetooth On and Off from Command Line on macOS
6.11.2018
Bluetooth has been a revelation in wireless technology: wireless mice, headphones, streaming devices, and a variety of home and office environments. It goes without saying that wireless peripherals are so much easier to manage than wired counterparts, especially mice, that I usually have...
Mercurial: Mass Add and Remove All Files
29.10.2018
While I much prefer git and the GitHub workflow, Firefox’s codebase (mozilla-central) is store in a mercurial repository. There are tools that wrap mercurial so you can use a git-like interface, like git-cinnabar, but my philosophy is to learn the root tool so that I know what’s going...
Change Mac Brightness from Command Line
24.10.2018
Earlier this week I posted about how you can modify your Mac’s volume from command line. Little command line scripts make me smile because I spend so much of my day in command line, and automation can be the key to productivity. I next thought about modifying brightness from command line...